A group of families of those detained under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979 (PTA), organisations and movements, unions, and individuals, have appealed to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to unconditionally release 10 long-term Tamil political prisoners as promised in the National People’s Power (NPP) Election manifesto.
The letters of appeal have been signed by PTA detainees’ families represented by K. Vaakani, S. Rajeshwari, E. Maadhawaraja, Mary Angela Colin, and S. Kathirkamathamby.
They pointed out that the issue of political prisoners is a long-standing one, with 100s of political dissidents, activists and journalists being arrested and indefinitely detained under the Emergency Law and or the PTA.
They also said that, of the 10 remaining long-term Tamil political prisoners detained under the PTA, the trials of Selvarajah Kirupaharan and Thambaiya Pragash, who were arrested in August 2009, are still ongoing. “This amounts to almost two decades of their lives being held behind bars, prior to even a sentencing. They have missed out on the entirety of their youth, and much of their adulthood, whilst waiting out their trial. The remaining eight detainees, although convicted, have spent more than 15 years in prison, with two having been in prison for almost 30 years, and having also been subjected to torture and harassment at the hands of the Police, Prison officials and fellow inmates, and subjected to arbitrary delays and procedural flaws.”
The letters appealed that since these 10 Tamil PTA detainees have already spent half of their adult lives inside prison, it is the unanimous appeal of all 10 victim families, and the detainees themselves, that they be unconditionally released and permitted to reintegrate into society, as both an act of reconciliation, and as promised in the NPP Government’s Election manifesto.
The appeals also called on the President to review and fast-track the cases of all other PTA detainees, including those arrested after the Easter Sunday attacks, and charge or unconditionally release all PTA detainees; provide fair and proportionate reparations to all PTA detainees who have been acquitted of all charges, some after as much as 15 years in prison; repeal the PTA immediately and impose an immediate moratorium on its use until such time; and withdraw the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Act and commit to not introducing any new terror laws to replace the PTA.
