On April 10, 2026, David Matas and Sarah Teich gave remarks regarding Tamil statehood at the grand launch event of the Global Tamil Council.
In particular, David Matas argued that “in light of the experience of the Tamil people and international law, the right to self-determination of the Tamil people has coalesced into a right to statehood.” He grounded this argument in international human rights law, noting that the 8 purposes of human rights standards set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights– achieving respect for human rights, providing a foundation for peace, conforming to the consciences of humanity, achieving the highest aspirations of humanity, avoidance of recourse to rebellion to tyranny and oppression, promoting friendly relations among States, promotion of social progress and better standards of life, achievement of a common understanding for the full realization of rights and freedoms –would all be served by, and in fact in some cases cannot be achieved without, creating an independent state of Tamil Eelam. He concluded that “approaching the right to self determination from a human rights perspective and applying that perspective purposively leads to the conclusion that the right of the Tamil people to self determination is a right to statehood. That right should be universally recognized.”
Sarah Teich built on the conclusion that the Tamil experience in Sri Lanka meets the threshold for when the right to self determination amounts to the right to statehood, elaborating on how the Tamils might position themselves to move towards statehood. She outlined the criteria for statehood established by the 1933 Montevideo Convention on the Rights and Duties of States, namely a permanent population, a defined territory, a government, and the capacity to enter into relations with other states, as well as the informal and highly-debated fifth factor of recognition by other states. She discussed how the requirements for a permanent population and a defined territory are under threat from occupation and settlement expansion, requiring ongoing documentation to preserve the factual record. She noted that the Tamil community has strong capacity that must be channelled towards building a governance structure that can engage with other countries. Finally, she discussed the progressive viewpoint that recognition can come before all four of Montevideo criteria are met, highlighting how such recognition can strengthen the claim itself.
She highlighted the significance of this process by stating that “statehood opens doors that are otherwise closed. A Tamil State could sign and ratify international treaties; it could pursue accountability for past atrocities through international courts with its own standing, rather than depending on the willingness of other States to act. The pursuit of statehood is not separate from the pursuit of justice; it is a path towards achieving it.”
Their remarks can be viewed in their entirety here and here.
