A Condemnation and Call for Justice Preserving Tamil Historical Memory Amidst Acts of Desecration ABC Tamil Oli, Wimal Navaratnam, Human Rights Activist June 26, 2025 “When we destroy the monuments of our past, we do not erase history—we wound the soul of our identity. Justice for Thanthai Chelva is not just about restoring a statue, it’s about reaffirming who we are as a people.” — Wimal Navaratnam, Human Rights Activist Introduction In the early hours of June 25, 2025, a statue of S.J.V. Chelvanayakam , fondly known as “Thanthai Chelva” (Father Chelva), was vandalized and beheaded in Mannar . Chelvanayakam is revered as a foremost leader in Sri Lanka’s Tamil history, often called the *father of the Tamil nation* for his pivotal role in championing Tamil rights and self-determination. The desecration of his statue has prompted widespread outrage among Tamil political figures, community leaders, and residents. This report details the incident, situates it in historical contex...

Briefing Note:  Volker Türk's Visit to Sri Lanka Overview of the Visit By: Wimal Navaratnam, Human Rights Activist, Brampton Canada, June 26, 2025, 12:03 PM Background and Overview of the Visit United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk conducted an official visit to Sri Lanka from 23 to 26 June 2025 , the first such visit by a UN human rights chief in nearly a decade. The visit came ahead of a UN Human Rights Council session in September where Sri Lanka’s wartime accountability commitments would be scrutinized. According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), Türk’s itinerary included Colombo (the capital) as well as the Tamil-majority regions of Trincomalee in the Eastern Province, Jaffna in the Northern Province, and the city of Kandy in the central highlands. In Colombo, he met the Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, key ministers, and opposition figures. Critically, he was also scheduled to ...

Returning Home: The Refugee’s Journey Amid Global Conflict June 22, 2025 Deportation of Afghan refugees Al Jazeera "INSIDE STORY" July 06,2025 "For decades, tens of thousands of Afghans who have fled war and poverty and sought a better future have crossed into neighbouring Iran. Tehran has largely been lenient towards the community. But in recent years, Iranians seem to have grown tired of hosting them, and sentiment towards foreign nationals has hardened...." The Hidden Current in a Tidal Wave As of 2024 , more than 123 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide—yet something remarkable is happening. UNHCR reports that nearly 1.1 million refugees voluntarily returned to their home countries last year, reversing a decade-long trend of relentless outflows. From Afghan families leaving Iran to Syrian refugees heading back across once-forbidding borders, “home” is calling once again. History Has Seen This Before After WWII, millions of displaced perso...

Empowering Tamil human rights defenders, civil society, and victims’ groups to engage directly with UN human rights mechanisms The purpose The purpose of this article is to examine the significant barriers Tamil war victims in Sri Lanka faced in communicating with United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk during his June 2025 visit. Despite the historic nature of the visit and the critical opportunity it offered for Tamil survivors to present their long-standing grievances—including enforced disappearances, militarization, and impunity for wartime atrocities—their voices were marginalized due to logistical limitations, surveillance and intimidation, lack of direct engagement, and broader institutional shortcomings. This report aims to highlight those challenges and underscore the urgent need for survivor-centred dialogue and international accountability. Introduction In June 2025, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk paid an offici...