Pathetic plight of the Tamil Political Prisoners in Sri Lanka

Tamil Political Prisoners in Sri Lanka

Today, there are believed to be approximately 200 Tamil political prisoners, some of whom have been detained for over a decade.

These arrests were under the widely criticized PTA which facilitates detentions without charge. Sri Lanka had vowed to repeal the draconian legislation as part of the GSP+ agreement and the UN Human Rights Council Resolution 30/1. However, the Sri Lankan administration has since disavowed commitments made under Resolution 30/1.

The government’s continued detention of these individuals is a matter of great concern for the Tamil community; over the past several years there have been intermittent protests (throughout the historically Tamil Northern and Eastern Provinces) about this matter.

Even though the war ended more than 13 years ago, Sri Lanka has not released all of its political prisoners.

There are  around 180-193 Tamil political prisoners still being held under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which gives state security expansive powers to search, arrest, or detain people, though it has typically been used to target Tamils. Under the PTA, the government can detain suspects for extended periods of time without presenting charges or bringing them before a court. There is no provision for bail under this act.

Even though the war ended more than 13 years ago, Sri Lanka has not released all its political prisoners.

If the government remains unwilling to release the remaining detainees, it should at least provide them with a trial.

The claims that releasing political prisoners would destabilize the country are baseless. The Tamil Tigers were militarily defeated in 2009, and there is no credible evidence that they are regrouping within Sri Lanka (despite attempts by government officials to make it appear that way).

Following a war that lasted more than two decades and some say killed up to 100,000 (that figure may be much higher)—it is important to establish trust between the Sinhalese-dominated government and a Tamil community that, broadly speaking, remains skeptical of the government’s reform agenda.

If the government remains unwilling to release the remaining detainees, it should at least provide them with a trial. Denial of a trial gives credence to the widespread belief that most prisoners are being held on dubious legal grounds. The majority of these individuals have spent years in jail but have not been convicted of anything; many have not even been indicted. Additionally, Colombo has yet to release a full list of political prisoners.

The government’s continued detention of these individuals is a matter of great concern for the Tamil community; over the past several months, there have been intermittent protests (throughout the historically Tamil Northern and Eastern Provinces) about this matter.

Sri Lanka wants the world to believe that things are really changing. And yet the dubious detention of Tamils continues. To be clear, releasing or bringing to trial all Tamil political prisoners would be a big deal, though that’s the ground floor of war-related reforms that the government should move on.

The Government should release these unfortunate citizens of the country to enable them to rejoin their families and re-enter social life. This would require the granting of special Amnesty to those convicted whilst others could be released by the powers vested in the President or through the courts.

Kumarathasan Rasingm – Secretary, Tamil Canadian Elders for Human Rights Org.

Support Countercurrents

Countercurrents is answerable only to our readers. Support honest journalism because we have no PLANET B.
Become a Patron at Patreon

Join Our Newsletter

GET COUNTERCURRENTS DAILY NEWSLETTER STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX

Join our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Get CounterCurrents updates on our WhatsApp and Telegram Channels

Related Posts

Echoes of Mullivaikal in Gaza

The daily death and destruction in Gaza has evoked painful memories for Tamils everywhere of a similar carnage half a world away in Mullivaikal, the coastal village that became the…

Join Our Newsletter


Annual Subscription

Join Countercurrents Annual Fund Raising Campaign and help us

Latest News