Tamils protest at UN in Geneva as Sri Lanka is discussed at Human Rights Council

Hundreds of Tamil activists, youth, and diaspora members gathered outside the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva on Monday, demanding international justice for the Tamil genocide and the liberation of occupied Tamil Eelam.

The protest coincided with Sri Lanka's discussion at the UNHRC’s 58th session, where the island’s human rights record and lack of accountability were under review.

The demonstration, organised by Tamil organisations across Europe, sought to draw global attention to Sri Lanka’s ongoing human rights violations and the failure of successive Sri Lankan governments to deliver justice for the war crimes and genocide committed against Tamils.

The Swiss Tamil Coordination Committee and the Swiss Tamil Youth Organisation handed over a memorandum to members of the UN Human Rights Committee on Sri Lanka. During a 30-minute discussion, activists detailed the continuing violations faced by Tamils, including land grabs, enforced disappearances, militarisation, and restrictions on memorialisation. They urged UN officials to maintain pressure on Sri Lanka and called for international accountability mechanisms to address the Sri Lankan state’s decades-long impunity.

The event commenced with the lighting of the general torch and the hoisting of the Tamil Eelam national flag by Mr. Raghuram, a Tamil activist from Switzerland. Protesters raised banners and slogans calling for Tamil self-determination.

A series of speeches were delivered by Tamil activists in multiple languages, including English, French, German, and Italian, emphasising the systematic oppression of Tamils and the importance of global solidarity in the fight for justice.

Members of the Tamil Youth Organisation (TYO) from across Europe took an oath on stage, pledging their commitment to continuing the Tamil struggle for justice and liberation. 

The protest took place as the UN Human Rights Council reviewed Sri Lanka’s human rights record, with international actors criticising the Sri Lankan government’s ongoing failures to address accountability and impunity.

Despite Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s claims of a new political direction, Colombo has continued the militarisation of the Tamil homeland, its rejection of international accountability, and its persistent persecution of Tamil activists.