42 years ago, on July 24, 1983, , the Black July pogrom took place in Sri Lanka, the largest anti-Tamil pogrom in the island’s history.
The island-wide violence led to the killing of 5,638 Tamils. Around 18,000 homes were burned, 5,000 shops were destroyed, and horrific atrocities were committed, including massacres, prison riots, sexual violence, assassinations, and even reports of cannibalism. Hundreds of women were raped by the Sinhalese mobs.
This atrocity was not a spontaneous outbreak of violence, but a well-orchestrated plan executed by the Sri Lankan government, with the active participation and support of sections of the Sinhalese population. Many not only took part in the violence but aided and abetted the pogrom with the clear intent of exterminating the Tamil people. The Sri Lankan government provided the mobs with transportation and voter registration forms citing the addresses of Tamil citizens.
International Commission of Jurists, a globally respected NGO, concluded that the violence during Black July “amounted to acts of genocide” under international law.
“The evidence points clearly to the conclusion that the violence of the Sinhala rioters on the Tamils amounted to acts of genocide.” — International Commission of Jurists, December 1983
To this day, no justice has been delivered to the Eelam Tamils for the atrocities they endured, atrocities that continue in various forms even now.
Had the international community acted out of genuine concern for human rights rather than geopolitical interests, it could have prevented not only the 1983 pogrom but also the subsequent Tamil genocide that unfolded over the following decades, all the way up until 2009.
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