Protests reinvigorate grassroots movement in North
[TamilNet, Tuesday, 08 August 2017, 23:20 GMT]
Grassroots activists from the North and progressive groups from the South have joined hands with the backing of civil and community groups in three of the five districts in North reinvigorating the struggle demanding dignified releases of Tamil political prisoners from the prisons of genocidal Sri Lanka. On Tuesday, coordinated protests were staged at the towns of Vavuniyaa, Ki’linochchi and in the city of Jaffna. The protests were attended by large number of representatives across a wide-spectrum of grassroots and civil groups as well as trade unions. University students, teachers and non-academic staff as well as religious dignitaries took part in the protest organized on the 5th Year Remembrance of two Tamil political prisoners, Nimalarooban from Vavuniyaa and Dilrukshan from Jaffna, who were killed following severe torture meted out on them at Anuradapura prison.
Grassroots activists from the North and progressive groups from the South have joined hands with the backing of civil and community groups in three of the five districts in North reinvigorating the struggle demanding dignified releases of Tamil political prisoners from the prisons of genocidal Sri Lanka. On Tuesday, coordinated protests were staged at the towns of Vavuniyaa, Ki’linochchi and in the city of Jaffna. The protests were attended by large number of representatives across a wide-spectrum of grassroots and civil groups as well as trade unions. University students, teachers and non-academic staff as well as religious dignitaries took part in the protest organized on the 5th Year Remembrance of two Tamil political prisoners, Nimalarooban from Vavuniyaa and Dilrukshan from Jaffna, who were killed following severe torture meted out on them at Anuradapura prison.
The protest gains momentum
following the recent imprisonment of popular Mridangam artist
Kannathasan Kanesasundaram, a lecturer at the Arts faculty of the
University of Jaffna. Kannathasan was formerly the director of Tamil
Eelam College of Fine Arts during the times of the LTTE. Almost all of
his colleagues were subjected to genocidal annihilation during and in
the aftermath of the genocidal war on Vanni. After being released from
the prolonged custody and ‘military rehabilitation’ of the occupying SL
military, Mr Kannathasan was again targeted through the SL judiciary
with an alleged accusation from the past of forced recruitment to the
LTTE in 2008.
The SL State has consistently refused to recognize the imprisoned activists who were involved in the armed national liberation struggle of Tamil Eelam as political prisoners. Whilst the former JVP members, who engaged in an armed resistance in the South were recognized as political prisoners in the past, the genocidal State of Sri Lanka has continuously refused to accord that recognition to the Tamil prisoners.
While escaping international investigations on genocide the occupying with the abetment of global powers, the occupying Colombo is determined to treat all the Eezham Tamils who have stood up for the rights in the past as criminal suspects.
The latest protest also gains significance as 30-year-old Eezham Tamil political prisoner Sulaxan Mathiyarasan, who has been detained in various prisons without trial for more than 8 years, is set to re-launch a continuous hunger-strike on 20th August at Anuradhapura prison.
In the meantime, Colombo has let lose its STF commandos and SL military operating in the background, carrying out new round-ups and arrests targeting the new generation of Tamil youth under the cover of controlling gang violence.
The protesters condemned renewed arrests and harassments threatening the security of Eezham Tamils in the peninsula.
Meanwhile, Sinhala police and prison officials in the prisons of Colombo are trying to deceive some of the Tamil political prisoners to testify against their inmates as part of a drive by the SL Attorney General's Department to transfer the cases of Tamil political prisoners to the courts in South.
Informed legal sources in Vavuniyaa said Vavuniyaa High Court Judge was under heavy pressure from Colombo on the case of Kannathasan as well as in the drive of transferring the cases to the courts in South.
The SL State has consistently refused to recognize the imprisoned activists who were involved in the armed national liberation struggle of Tamil Eelam as political prisoners. Whilst the former JVP members, who engaged in an armed resistance in the South were recognized as political prisoners in the past, the genocidal State of Sri Lanka has continuously refused to accord that recognition to the Tamil prisoners.
While escaping international investigations on genocide the occupying with the abetment of global powers, the occupying Colombo is determined to treat all the Eezham Tamils who have stood up for the rights in the past as criminal suspects.
The latest protest also gains significance as 30-year-old Eezham Tamil political prisoner Sulaxan Mathiyarasan, who has been detained in various prisons without trial for more than 8 years, is set to re-launch a continuous hunger-strike on 20th August at Anuradhapura prison.
In the meantime, Colombo has let lose its STF commandos and SL military operating in the background, carrying out new round-ups and arrests targeting the new generation of Tamil youth under the cover of controlling gang violence.
The protesters condemned renewed arrests and harassments threatening the security of Eezham Tamils in the peninsula.
Meanwhile, Sinhala police and prison officials in the prisons of Colombo are trying to deceive some of the Tamil political prisoners to testify against their inmates as part of a drive by the SL Attorney General's Department to transfer the cases of Tamil political prisoners to the courts in South.
Informed legal sources in Vavuniyaa said Vavuniyaa High Court Judge was under heavy pressure from Colombo on the case of Kannathasan as well as in the drive of transferring the cases to the courts in South.
Chronology:
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