As of June 1, 2020, it has been 1,200 days of protest in Vavuniya. Protestors have not received any information on the forced disappearances nor have any responsible parties been held accountable. 3

Sri Lanka has one of the highest numbers of enforced disappearances in the world, with more than 100,000 accounts of enforced disappearances, primarily Tamils, since the initiation of the armed conflict.1 Women-led protests began in Kilinochchi in February, 2017, demanding answers with respect to the fates of their disappeared loved ones. This mobilization initiated protests across Tamil Eelam in Vavuniya, Trincomalee, Mullaitivu, and Maruthankerny. 1,2  Since the protests began, protest sites have been under constant surveillance, with photography, videography, telephone calls and interrogation by the Sri Lankan security forces. In January 2020, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said that the “missing persons are actually dead”. However, his statement comes with no evidence, and the protests have continued. 1,2