January 23, 2010

Hundreds of activists protest demanding release of Political Prisoners

Dhammika De Silva
Member of Executive Committee
Human Rights Cell, United Socialist Party- Sri Lanka

Hundreds of relatives including women and children joined a mass protest for the release of Political Prisoners in Sri Lanka in front of Welikada prison in Colombo.

Siritunga Jayasuriya speaking to the press during the protest said, “Rajapakse regime has pulled out an election stunt recently by announcing that they have taken all the steps to release the political prisoners in the country, contrary to this false declaration, there are hundreds languishing in prisons held under Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and those who have been released are the Tamil youth from the plantation who were rounded up for no reason”.

“A grave situation has developed in relation to the political prisoners held under PTA but not charged; they are kept in jail custody for nearly four years in the most in human condition”, said Siritunga who was part of the protest.

In front of the Welikada prison HQ in Colombo

More than 200 political prisoners are in the jails of Welikada, Kandy, Anuradhapura, Vavunia, Boossa and Jafna. “All those political prisoners who have not been charged but kept indefinitely under PTA must be released immediately”, said Siritunga speaking to the press people at the protest.

This protest was organised by ‘Campaign for the Release of Political Prisoners’. Civil Monitoring Commission United Socialist Party, New Democratic Party and other Human Rights organisations participated in this protest.