Black July – Historical Injustice Still Unacknowledged

25-Jul-2025

.

Siritharan recalled that July 23 marks the anniversary of Black July—the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom. 

He accused J.R. Jayewardene and his ministers Lalith and Gamini Dissanayake of orchestrating mass violence against Tamils, with government and military backing. 

He described horrific acts such as the brutal murders of prisoners Kutti Mani, Thangathurai, and Jagan in Welikade Prison, whose eyes were gouged out.

He lamented that 42 years have passed without any formal apology, accountability, or investigations. 

The state has not made any attempt to recognize the Tamil people’s suffering or offer reconciliation. 

He recalled how LTTE leader Prabhakaran told Indian journalist Anita Pratap in 1984 that if J.R. Jayewardene had been a true Buddhist, he wouldn’t have had to take up arms.

Siritharan argued that the Tamil people are a nation seeking justice, not revenge. 

He urged the current leadership to treat the Tamil people with dignity and fulfill their historical responsibilities. 

He emphasized that Tamils are not outsiders and are only demanding recognition of their right to live in their ancestral land in the North and East with self-rule.