Relatives of missing persons stage ‘black flag’ protest in Kilinochchi

Relatives of persons who went missing during Sri Lanka’s decades-long war staged a protest in the Kilinochchi town today (04), which is Sri Lanka’s 78th Independence Day, stating that they have no freedom without their missing loved ones.

The protestors, who hoisted black flags and wore black armbands, said that although 17 years have passed since the end of the war, they remain in a helpless situation with no information about their relatives who disappeared during the conflict.

They stressed that freedom holds no meaning in the absence of their missing family members, and noted that despite continuous protests demanding answers and justice, no government has so far provided them with justice.

The protest march commenced near the Kandaswamy Kovil in Kilinochchi and continued through the town. Participants raised black flags, wore black armbands, and displayed posters and banners declaring that they were observing a “black freedom”, and not an Independence Day. 

Representatives of Tamil political parties, families of the missing and disappeared persons from the Northern and Eastern Provinces, and members of civil organizations also took part in the protest.