Commemorations were held at several locations across Jaffna over the weekend to mark 43 years since the Black July pogrom of 1983, honouring both the Tamil civilians killed in the anti-Tamil violence and the political prisoners who died in state custody.
At the Thanthai Selva Auditorium in Jaffna, a common flame of remembrance was lit on Saturday, July 25, followed by candles lit in memory of the prisoners killed in detention. Members of parliament, representatives of political parties, social activists and members of the public attended.
A separate 43rd anniversary event was held at the head office of the Valikamam East Pradeshiya Sabha, where the ceremonial flame was lit under the leadership of Pradeshiya Sabha Chairman Thiyagarajah Nirosh. Deputy Chairman Tharmalingam Janarthanan and council members lit 53 lamps in memory of the prisoners killed at Welikada, among them the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organisation figures Selvarasa “Kuttimani” Yogachandiran, Nadarajah “Thangathurai” and Ganeshanathan “Jegan” Jeganathan. Council member Selvathisainayagam Thavanayagam delivered an address titled “Black July: An Indelible Scar in Tamil History”, and a photographic exhibition was held on the premises.
A further commemoration took place in front of the Muniyappar Temple near the Jaffna Fort, where a common flame was lit and lamps were placed in tribute.
The July 1983 violence saw mobs target Tamil homes and businesses across the island, leaving thousands dead and displacing tens of thousands. Contemporary accounts documented the use of electoral registers to identify Tamil-owned property, and human rights organisations recorded the involvement or complicity of state actors. Fifty-three Tamil political prisoners were killed inside Welikada Prison; Amnesty International noted most were remand detainees held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act and never convicted. Magisterial inquiries ruled the deaths murder, but no one has been convicted.
The commemorations followed Tamil MPs marking the anniversary in parliament days earlier, and come as excavations at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna continue, with 478 sets of remains recovered to date.
