Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · 17d

Dr. Kāsipillai Manoharan (84), a persistent fighter who campaigned to get justice for his son Ragihar Manoharan (20) executed with 4 Tamil students in Trincomalee on 02.01.2006 by Sri Lanka's police Special Task Force, passed away in exile on Sunday(21), without seeing justice.
RIP🪔

1 1

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Sep 7

A joint report by International Truth & Justice Project & @redress.org, "The Killing of Sri Lankan Journalists:the case of Nimalarajan Mylvaganam" was released in Jaffna in an event organised by Jaffna Press Club on Sunday(7) to mark the 25th anniversary of the killing of BBC reporter M.Nimalarajan.

1 2

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 21

Thursday (21) marks the 12th day since excavations recommenced at the Colombo port mass burial site where over 85 bodies, haphazardly buried without clothes, were unearthed. The site was first found in July 2023 during construction work for the Port City Expressway entrance.

1

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 17

UPDATE: After being interrogated for over 7 hours about his journalistic work by the police counter- terrorism officers, journalist K.Kumanan left Alampil CTID station with his lawyer Nadarajar Kandeepan, a short while ago.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 17

Tamil journalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan is seen walking into Alampil sub-station of Counter Terrorism & Investigation Division with his lawyer Nadarajar Kandeepan, on Sunday morning (17), after he was summoned under PTA for an "inquiry" abt his journalistic work in Tamil areas.

Reposted by JDS

RSF @rsf.org · Aug 13

#SriLanka: Kanapathipillai Kumanan, who covered the recent exhumations of mass graves, has been summoned on 17 August. by the anti-terrorism division for an unspecified "investigation.” RSF denounces this new act of intimidation and demands an end to police harassment of this Tamil photojournalist.

5 6

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 12

International media rights group, Committee to Protect Journalists calls on Sri Lankan authorities to "immediately stop harassing photojournalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan", who has been summoned by Counter Terrorism & Investigation Division (CTID).
cpj.org/2025/08/sri-...

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 12

On 27.10.89 M.S.Wijeratna of Divulapitiya, a father of 4,was abducted by a police team led by OIC Nimal Fernando. And thus began his brother Ratnasiri's long search for justice for victims of Walpita mass grave.
Today, as the sun set over Divulapitiya, Ratnasiri was laid to rest.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 12

Mihindukulasuriyage Ratnasiri, who led the families of the disappeared in the mid 90s braving threats and intimidation, demanding justice for the victims of Divulapitiya mass grave in western Sri Lanka, passed away on Sunday (10) morning without seeing justice.
Rest in power!🪔

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 7

Chemmani mass grave body count rises to 147 as 6 more bodies - including skeletal remains of infants - unearthed on Wednesday (6), marking the end of the second phase of an excavation process that continued for 41 days. #SriLanka #MassGrave| 📸 Sakuna M. Gamage

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 7

Asian Football Confederation, one of the six continental confederations operating under #FIFA, has imposed US $2000 fine on #SriLankan midfielder Mohamed Thilham for showing solidarity with #Palestine following a win against Chinese Taipei in a qualifying match played on June 10.

1 1 1

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 7

#SriLanka's Counter Terrorism & Investigation Division (CTID)has summoned leading #Tamil journalist & rights defender, K. Kumanan, informing him to appear at CTID Sub-station in #Alampil, #Mullaithivu on August 17th for an 'inquiry'. @pressefreiheit.bsky.social @pressfreedom.bsky.social @rsf.org

1

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Aug 5

On Tuesday (5), 100s of relatives of the disappeared Tamils visited the 2 forensic excavation sites in Chemmani, Jaffna where skeletal remains of at least 141 victims have been unearthed from a mass grave during an exhumation process ongoing for 40 days. | 📸 © Sakuna M. Gamage

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 23

As the 18th day of the ongoing excavations at Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna concluded for Wednesday (23), the ever staggering body count stood at 85 with five more human remains unearthed during the day.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 23

After inspecting the de-mining site in Sampur where human remains were found 3 days ago, Magistrate of Muttur Ms H.M.T.Fowsan, today (23) instructed the judicial medical officer, Dept. of Archaeology & officials of Mine Advisory Group to submit their observations in 2 separate reports by July 30.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 21

Workers of Mine Action Group have uncovered human skeletal remains in a de-mining site at Children's Park in the eastern town of Sampur on Sunday (20), lying in close proximity to a location where at least 57 civilians were shot, hacked & burnt to death by Sri Lankan armed forces on 7 July 1990.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 10

As the second phase of the excavations at Chemmani Siththupaththi mass grave in Jaffna came to an end on Wednesday (9), the forensic team led by chief archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva & consultant JMO Dr. S. Pranavan has unearthed 63 human skeletal remains from the site.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 9

On 24 Oct. 2024, Sri Lanka's Public Security Minister @HMVijithaHerath told media that '3 Sri Lankans were arrested following intel. reports indicating security threats to Israeli nationals'.
21 y/o student Shuhail was among them who still remain behind bars.
His crime was to share these 2 imojis!

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 7

3. He was held under draconian PTA for sharing a post on Instagram that condemned ongoing 1sr@eli atrocities against Palestinians while his arbitrary arrest & detention prevented his graduation in January.

After 9 months since his arrest, Shuhail still remains in custody!

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 7

2. On Oct. 24, Mt. Lavinea Magistrate ordered his release after his father, Mr. M. Rifai, produced his ID to the court. The family returned to their hometown on the same evening, only to be visited again by a police team from Dehiwala, who re-arrested the youth & whisked him away to Colombo.

1

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 7

1. On 23 Oct. 2024, Mohamed Shuhail Mohamed Rifai (21), a resident of Mawanella, who was following an Airline Cabin Crew course in Colombo was arrested by officers attached to Dehiwala police for not having a national ID in his possession, while he's looking for a room to rent.

1

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 2

As the 7th day of exhumation work at Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna concluded on Wednesday (2), lead forensic archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadewa instructed his team to expand the boundaries of the demarcated area to include adjacent land-space suspected to be an extension of the burial site.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 1

Five more bodies, including of a child were unearthed on Tuesday (01), bringing the total to 38, during the ongoing excavation in Chemmani mass grave site in the northern peninsula of Jaffna.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jul 1

Sri Lankan Forensic Archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva inspects some toys found in a school bag that was discovered from a mass grave site in Chemmani, Jaffna where at least 38 bodies including several children were unearthed as the excavation reached the 6th day of the 2nd phase.

JDS @jdslanka.bsky.social · Jun 30

In a show of strong solidarity with the Palestinian nation, hundreds of trade unionists & social activists took to the streets in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Monday (30) and marched to the US embassy, condemning US -Isr@el genocidal alliance while calling for an end to carnage in Gaza.