By Bhavna Mohan Families of people who are wrenched away from their loved ones by state officials or others acting on their behalf, are plunged into a state of anguish, trying to keep the flame of hope alive while fearing the worst. They may be trapped in this limbo for years; even decades. In Sri Lanka, since the 1980s, Amnesty International estimates there have been as many as 100,000 cases of enforced disappearance. The victims consist of Sinhalese youngsters who were killed or forcibly disappeared by government death squads on suspicions of leftist links in 1989 and 1990, Tamils suspected of links to the LTTE, human rights defenders, aid workers, journalists, government critics, and prominent community leaders disappeared by police, military, and paramilitary operatives from 1983-2009. In approach of The International Day of the Disappeared on 30 August, Amnesty International took to the streets of Colombo in solidarity from 28 August. After rallying container trucks displaying large banners around the city, from Mount Lavinia, to Ja-Ela, and Fort, since early that day, the team was distributing leaflets, and speaking to the public in hopes of creating awareness. Amnesty International and their activists staged themselves at Galle Face Green on the same evening. Victims of the families of the disappeared from Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, and Sri Lanka, shared their thoughts, while activists from Afghanistan and Bangladesh read out statements on behalf of victims in their regions. The victims’ families were holding posters and flyers listing out the incidences that took place, including details such as names and dates, and explained efforts to date, in hopes of bringing justice to their loved ones. Local families turned activists Sandhya Priyangani Eknaligoda from Sri Lanka, whose case has received a lot of media attention; but to no avail, on speaking to The Sunday Morning, described the status of the investigations into her husband Prageeth Ekneligoda’s abduction in January, 2010. She said: “This was the second time he had been abducted. The first being in August, 2009 when he was taken blindfolded, kept under bright lights, in a form of torture, and then abandoned near some rocks in a remote location the next day. Since then I had made it a point to keep tabs on him every evening when he was returning home – but the second time his phone was switched off.” She said that there hadn’t been any progress till 2015, when a few suspects were jailed only to be released after that. She claims the report is still being prepared. “We are not able to file as case as yet because of this. The CID has promised me that they will do their best to bring the perpetrators to justice, but nothing has materialised yet.” Abdulbaddhur Sithi Jameena, also from Sri Lanka, whose son Hakeem disappeared nine years ago, shared her story with The Sunday Morning. Her son was a three-wheel driver who had disappeared after accepting a hire from an individual who had appealed to him for help: “Malli Malli Mawa Beraganna,” in Jameena’s words. All he did was accept a hire. “How was he supposed to know who he was taking,” she said despairingly. When asking her if it was alright for us to take her picture, she said, “So many pictures have been taken. Wherever they call me, I come,” giving insight into her seemingly hopeless journey of finding her son. Father of two children, Hakeem is now 30 years old. Amnesty International’s efforts When asked about the progress of Amnesty’s efforts in Sri Lanka, Regional Director for South Asia Amnesty International Biraj Patnaik said: “The truth is that within South Asia, Sri Lanka is the country that has made most progress on the issue of enforced disappearances. The setting up of the OMP is a positive step in the right direction. It is also the only country in South Asia that has signed and ratified the Convention on Enforced Disappearances. India, for instance, has signed the convention (in 2007) but not ratified it. The Maldives similarly has not ratified it.” “The setting up of the OMP has been much delayed. It should have been initiated years ago and a few investigations concluded. The commitment to justice and accountability was central to the promises that this Government made when it came to power. I am afraid that they have not walked the talk.” He also pointed out that Sri Lanka has a long way to go, when compared to similar offices set up in other regions, as the path to justice is tortuously slow, where fully enabled offices are able to handle a handful of cases per year with much more resources allocated than Sri Lanka has. On asking Patnaik if he believed that Sri Lanka may lack the knowledge and resources to make the desired progress, he said: “No, I think it’s the absence of political will rather than knowledge or resources. When repeated references are made to the perpetrators of the war crimes as war heroes who cannot be touched, by people holding high office, including the President, it sends out a chilling message of complicity and impunity to the grieving families." “It is here that Sri Lanka may already be losing the battle for justice," Patnaik added. The interim report of Office of Missing Persons will be submitted to the President on 5 September with recommendations. Raising awareness Island-wide “More than 60,000 disappeared,” “Still no answers,” and “Why Mr. President?” in English, Sinhala and Tamil were splayed across three container trucks on bright yellow banners in the colours of Amnesty International, while they were being taken across the island. The last truck had a blank banner at the end where, whoever wished to, was able to write a few words of support. After being taken around Colombo, these container trucks were scheduled to visit the South, including Galle, on 29 August, and on 30 August, The International Day of the Disappeared, were driven up North to Mannar, Jaffna, Vavuniya, and Kilinochchi; covering some regions in-between as well. The purpose of this solidarity event was to raise awareness locally, in order to communicate the gravity of the situation faced by the families of the disappeared and to demand for answers. In the words of Amnesty International founder Peter Benenson: “Only when the last prisoner of conscience has been freed, when the last torture chamber has been closed, when the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a reality for the world’s people, will our work be done.” Pics by Indika Handuwala