Arrest the general – Justice for victims 

Having collaborated and campaigned with ITJP for ten years fighting for long-term systematic change in Sri Lanka, we proudly worked together to build a campaign and assets for the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva. The session called for the arrest of a Sri Lankan General alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the country’s civil war.

Context
The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) filed lawsuits against Sri Lanka’s former Ambassador in Latin America, Jagath Jayasuriya in Brazil, Colombia, Peru and Chile. The lawsuits alleged that General Jayasuriya bears individual criminal responsibility as the commander of units that committed repeated attacks on hospitals, acts of torture and sexual violence, enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings during the country’s civil war.

Approach
We created a campaign identity that built on the momentum of the ITJP lawsuits and launched at the United Nations to inform diplomats from around the world and engage with activists of all generations. We designed a symbol that Sri Lankans could connect with and own but that also appealed to an international audience. We took the Tamil word for ‘General’ and manipulated the letterforms to create a pictogram of a general replete with medals.

The campaign identity is contemporary and politically neutral featuring vibrant colours with no political connotations. We took our inspiration from the bright and striking colours used in textiles that we have collected from various trips to Sri Lanka. As placards are prohibited in the United Nations the campaign came to life on striking T-shirts and tote bags.

Impact
The campaign built extensive awareness about the mass atrocities carried out by the Sri Lankan government.