Although the law could not comprehend our suffering, law students did..

Although the law could not comprehend our suffering, law students did..
This is the first time we have come to the Law School of Sri Lanka. We are not here to hand over anyone's child. We went to tell our story to these children studying the law. If we had not surrendered ourselves to the army, police, and camps in those days, our children too would’ve been able to study and graduate from the law school.
But that did not happen. There was no law in our country back then. Even though the most serious crime in the world is the enforced disappearance of a person, our country had no law that recognised enforced disappearance as a serious crime prior to 2018. But there was, and still is, the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which provides for three months of forced detention without judicial authorisation. Not only were those responsible for these enforced disappearances and murdering our loved ones not detained and questioned, but a law called the Immunity Act was implemented to prevent those in the security forces involved in crimes from being brought to justice. That is most likely why, when we went to the police to complain, they did not even register our complaint at the time.
Although many people believe that this is the finest country in the world, Sri Lanka has the second-highest number of disappearances in the world. Although it is known as the "pearl of the Indian Ocean", there are currently 24 mass graves, and it is unclear how many more will be discovered. When we see these being dug up, we all wonder if our loved ones are secretly buried somewhere. We want to know what really happened to our loved ones before they died, as well as who was responsible. We are not seeking restitution to build palaces; rather, recompense is the victim's right and the government's acknowledgement that such an event occurred.
The law enacted in 2018 cannot penalise what occurred 35 years ago. That is why we are requesting particular legal covering for it. We are not asking for the disappearance or execution of those who committed the crime, but rather that they be brought to justice. We oppose both of those. Because, despite having done the crime, no one wants to commit it against them. We simply want everything done to ensure that this crime against us never happens to another human being on the planet again. In short, establish an accountability structure to ensure that enforced disappearances never occur again. That is why, 35 years later and selflessly, we are still holding on to this.
We are grateful to the Sri Lanka Law Students' Association, the principal, the lecture panel, and the administration of the Sri Lanka Law School for understanding and supporting our efforts to create an opportunity to discuss social responsibility within the Law School.