A three-day awareness protest titled “அணையா விளக்கு – Unextinguished Lamp” was held from June 23 to 25 at Chemmani Junction, Jaffna.
Organized by a volunteer people’s movement, the protest called for international justice for the victims buried in the Chemmani mass graves and demanded that exhumations be conducted under international supervision.
The protest began with a symbolic lamp-lighting ceremony led by a relative of Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, a school student who was brutally raped and murdered by Sri Lankan Army personnel in Chemmani in 1996.
The program included a rotating hunger strike, a photo exhibition documenting the mass graves, a public petition drive, and cultural performances such as poetry recitations, storytelling, and dramas highlighting the victims’ stories and the Chemmani tragedy.
On June 25, the final day, a large protest march was held to reinforce the demand for justice for the forcibly disappeared and to draw international attention to the mass grave site.
The event saw the participation of the Jaffna District Interreligious Council, religious leaders, political representatives, civil society activists, and members of the public, who paid tribute to the victims by offering flowers.
A significant highlight of the campaign was the visit of Mr. Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. Mr. Türk visited the Chemmani site, listened to testimonies shared by families and activists, and paid his respects by laying flowers at the “Unextinguished Lamp,” a symbolic lamp kept alight in memory of those who perished.
