Tamil political prisoners complain about increased harassment at SL prisons
The intelligence operatives of the Sri Lankan military and the prison
officers are threatening the Tamil political prisoners against their
attempts to file Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions challenging their
continued imprisonment, the families visiting the prisoners from
Batticaloa told TamilNet this week. When the families are visiting the
prisoners, two intelligence operatives were accompanying the imprisoned
Tamils. In the meantime, rights activists from Batticaloa, providing
free legal assistance to the prisoners in Colombo Magazine prison and at
Anurdhapura prison, complain that the prisoners were unable to
communicate with them about filing FR petitions.
The political prisoners are being continuously harassed and subjected to
torture by the prison authorities, the families of the imprisoned
Tamils from Batticaloa said.
Any protest against the SL State
would bring new charges against the imprisoned Tamil political
prisoners, a Tamil prisoner, subjected to torture following his
participation in the recent hunger strike, was told by the SL prison
officers.
“Do you think we would allow you to get released
through staging protests when we even go the extent of detaining people
like Pillayan who were supporting us in the war against you,” was a
question posed by the same prison officers, according to the family of
the prisoner.
The SL prison authorities are also deploying Sinhala inmates to harass the Tamil political prisoners.
The families and the rights activists do not wish to name themselves fearing reprisals targeting their relatives and clients.
In
the meantime, SL military intelligence operatives have also been
monitoring the activities of the families from Batticaloa, who have
recently visited the political prisoners in Magazine and Anuradhapura
prisons.
The Tamil political prisoners dropped the hunger strike
after Tamil politicians belonging to Ilangkai Thamizh Arasuk Kadchi
(ITAK) requested to give more ‘time and space’ to ‘Sri Lankan’ ministers
to expedite their cases.
The SL minister of Justice has openly refused to recognise the imprisoned former members of the LTTE as political prisoners.
However,
the Tamil prisoners have vowed to resume their hunger strike on
November 7, despite the prevailing harassment, the rights activists told
TamilNet on Wednesday.
Chronology:
கருத்துகள் இல்லை:
கருத்துரையிடுக