Colombo: Appeal to the President for the release of Tamil political prisoners

A coalition of civil society groups and organisations is calling on Anura Kumara Dissanayake to release at least 10 detainees unconditionally. Some have been in prison for over 30 years without trial. The controversial anti-terrorism law is under scrutiny.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - A broad coalition of prisoners’ families, civil society organisations, religious leaders, women’s groups, trade unions and activists has launched an appeal to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake for the unconditional release of 10 long-detained Tamil political prisoners.

The call for their release is made under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which references the election pledges made by the National People’s Power (NPP) government, whilst also reiterating the need for broader national reconciliation. In a joint appeal delivered yesterday to the Office of the Head of State and addressed to the President, the signatories explain that the prolonged detention of the prisoners – some for nearly 30 years – constitutes a grave injustice and a failure of the country’s legal and political systems.

The statement also traces the broader context of the history of the state of emergency and repression in Sri Lanka. In particular, successive governments have used emergency regulations and ‘anti-terrorism laws’ to suppress dissent during the uprisings of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP, of Marxist-Communist inspiration) in the 1970s and 1980s. A similar approach was maintained during the three-decade-long civil war, as well as in the ‘security-driven’ repression of Muslims following the church bombings on Easter Sunday 2019 and, more recently, in the aftermath of the 2022 Aragalaya protest movement.

The activists’ appeal notes that of the 10 long-term Tamil political prisoners still detained under the PTA, the trials of Selvarajah Kirupaharan and Thambaiya Pragash, arrested in August 2009, are currently pending and awaiting a final verdict.

“This means they have spent almost 20 years of their lives behind bars, even before being convicted! They have lost their entire youth and much of their adult lives whilst awaiting trial. The other eight detainees, although convicted, have spent more than 15 years in prison – two of whom have been in prison for almost 30 years – and have also been subjected to brutal torture and harassment by the police, prison officials and cellmates, as well as arbitrary delays and procedural irregularities.” Hence the call for them “to be released unconditionally and allowed to reintegrate into society, both as an act of reconciliation and as promised in the NPP government’s election manifesto”.

The document released by the activist groups also points out that such a measure would not be so unusual and that there are precedents. Among others, it cites a general amnesty granted in November 1977 by then-President J.R. Jayawardene, who ordered the release of JVP members convicted following the 1971 insurrection.

The signatories stated that the current administration, whose leaders have themselves suffered state repression, is ideally placed to take such a step. In addition to calling for the immediate release of the 10 detainees, the appeal sets out several proposals of broader scope, including the accelerated review of all remaining cases relating to the PTA, particularly those arising after the Easter Sunday bombings of 2019. It also urges the authorities to either bring formal charges against the detainees or release them unconditionally.

The coalition also calls for fair and proportionate compensation for those who have been acquitted after spending years – sometimes more than a decade – in detention, and calls for the immediate repeal of the Framework Act on Terrorism. Until the repeal comes into force, the statement urges the government to impose an immediate moratorium on the application of the law.

Finally, the appeal by the activist groups opposes the proposed law on the protection of the state against terrorism (Psta) and calls on the government to withdraw it, committing not to introduce replacement legislation that mirrors the provisions of the Pta.

The document is supported and signed by over 300 individuals and organisations: these include human rights groups, women’s movements, religious institutions, farmers’ and fishermen’s organisations, youth groups, academics, lawyers and the main trade unions representing teachers, healthcare workers, railway workers and textile industry workers.