‘Imagine losing your son or your husband’ – US Ambassador raises plight of families of the disappeared

 

 

24 February 2021

The US Ambassador to Sri Lanka met with Tamil families of the disappeared this week, as she highlighted their struggle to find the whereabouts of their missing loves ones in a set of tweets.

“Imagine losing your son or your husband,” tweeted Ambassador Teplitz. “Now imagine never knowing what happened to him.”

“That’s the heartbreak experienced by families of the disappeared,” she continued. “A responsible govt must respect victims’ families and the recommendations of their own commissions for the sake of #healing.”

“Sadly, families from all backgrounds are still searching for answers across #SriLanka. Regardless of the circumstances, people deserve to know what happened to their loved ones.”

The ambassador’s trip to the North-East comes just days after Tamil families of the disappeared marked 4 years of protest with a rally through Kilinochchi, calling for justice for their relatives and for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Families of the disappeared in Vavuniya criticised the draft United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolution this week, highlighting its failure to acknowledge Tamils, the need for an independent international accountability mechanism and nothing alluding to Tamil self-determination.

Over 75 parents have died since the protests began while searching for their missing children.

Related Articles: 

23 February 2021 : Vavuniya families of disappeared slam UN resolution failure to ‘mention Tamils’ and ‘address need for ICC and a referendum’

20 February 2021 : Through the Fire: Families of Disappeared March for Justice in Kilinochchi

05 February 2021 : Tamil journalist harassed and intimidated at Vavuniya families of the disappeared protest