As the corona virus spreads rapidly in prisons, protests continue across the north and east of Sri Lanka requesting the release of Tamil political prisoners.
The protest, which began in Jaffna at the end of last year, was joined by interfaith leaders as well as Tamil political leaders in the opposition.
The protests, which have been organized from Mannar to Mullaitivu in the north and from Batticaloa to Ampara in the east, are urging the government to immediately release political prisoners on compassionate grounds in the wake of the second wave of corona virus outbreaks.
The families of these prisoners are shocked that they do not have access to information about them.
Protesters are urging the president, at least for now, to be kind and humane and release them.
Some Tamil political prisoners have spent between 10 and 25 years in various prisons.
Many of these inmates, who have not yet been charged, are being held without trial.
Political and religious leaders have called on governments to release them, but to no avail.
Joining the protest in Jaffna at the end of last year, Kanagaratnam Sugash, a social activism lawyer in the North, said, “People with corona need special nutritious food, such as eggs and milk, but they are not given it. Even more tragic is the case of Ragupathi Sharma, a Brahmin priest who is serving a 300-year prison sentence. As I learned from the relatives of these prisoners, it is not allowed to bring food inside or outside the prison during this corona period. Even so, being a Brahmin, he needs specially prepared vegetarian food. But because he has no way to get such food, he has now lost at least ten kilos. As a result, we demand the immediate and unconditional release of all 147 political prisoners. ”
Protesters say that ‘the situation of Raghupathi Sharma is not an isolated incident’ and that almost all political prisoners are facing this situation.
They point out that political prisoners are fighting for their lives and that malnutrition can even lead to their deaths.
Protesters are calling for immediate PCR testing for the infected and for ensuring their safety before the situation worsens.
Commenting on the protest in Jaffna, religious leaders said that political prisoners were physically weak and traumatized and could even die.
We apologize
“In practical terms, it is more important that we apologize to political prisoners. We also need to question the extent to which the judiciary in our country is sympathetic, ”a Christian priest told the media at the protest site.
“If Pillayan can be released on bail, why can’t others do the same?” Former MP MK Sivajilingam questioned.
TNA MP Joseph Pararajasingham is the prime suspect in the murder case 15 years ago. Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan, popularly known as Pillayan, is a ruling party MP who has been released on bail.
Former MP MK Sivajilingam added, “If they cannot be pardoned, keep them in their homes. Let them treat there. Then the government can take step-by-step action to release them, ”he said.
Despite the seriousness of the spread of the corona virus in Sri Lankan prisons, the government is acting on the demands of family members, political and religious leaders, human rights organizations and social activists.