A public memorial seminar and protest were held in Jaffna on Sunday to mark the 42nd anniversary of Black July, the anti-Tamil pogrom that began on 23 July 1983 and claimed thousands of Tamil lives across the island.
The seminar, held under the theme “Yesterday – Today – Tomorrow”, honoured the memory of those who lost their lives during the week-long campaign of state-backed violence that targeted Tamil homes, businesses, and communities. The event served as a forum for political reflection and renewed calls for justice and accountability.
Chaired by former Member of Parliament and Attorney-at-Law N. Srikantha, the political discussion brought together a range of notable figures. Among the participants were Members of Parliament Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and S. Shritharan, former MP S. Kajendran, former Northern Provincial Minister P. Aingaranesan, Attorney-at-Law P. Guganeshwaran, and social and political activist C. Sivamohan.
Later that evening, a torch-lit protest was held at approximately 7:00 p.m. in front of the central bus stand in Nelliady. Organised by the Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), the demonstration was led by the party’s Deputy Secretary and President’s Counsel M. A. Sumanthiran. Local government chairpersons, councillors, and a large number of party members also took part in the commemoration.
Black July is remembered by Tamils across the North-East and around the world as a defining moment in Sri Lanka’s genocide — a state-orchestrated pogrom that accelerated calls for Tamil self-determination.
Despite the decades that have passed, Tamils continue to demand justice for the massacres and accountability for the Sri Lankan state’s violence.
