{
  "id": 5478524,
  "title": "Sumanthiran condemns police and ministers over assault on families of missing persons",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/sumanthiran-condemns-police-and-ministers-over-assault-on-families-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-04T00:01:15.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/sumanthiran-condemns-police-and-ministers-over-assault-on-families-of-missing-persons/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) General Secretary M. A. Sumanthiran has condemned the police and government ministers for their conduct during a recent confrontation with families of missing persons in Jaffna. In a post on X, Sumanthiran strongly condemned the police's brutal treatment of the families, who were protesting the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) for its failure to provide answers about their relatives. The confrontation occurred outside the Jaffna District Secretariat, where the OMP was holding an event to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances. Families, organized by the Association of the Relatives of the Enforced Disappeared in the North and East, were denied access to the building and had their banner forcibly removed by the police. ITAK's condemnation also extended to Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, who was seen watching the protest through Facebook while the families were protesting outside. The families have rejected any compensation or death certificates offered by the OMP, insisting that such measures cannot replace the need to know the fate of their missing relatives. Many of the protesters have spent over a decade seeking answers, despite repeated attempts to engage with Sri Lanka's domestic mechanisms, including the OMP.",
  "summary": "Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi (ITAK) General Secretary M. A. Sumanthiran has condemned the actions of police during a recent confrontation with families of the forcibly disappeared in Jaffna, as well as the conduct of government ministers who were present during the incident. In a post on X, Sumanthiran, said they strongly condemned the brutal ways […]",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}