Civil activists demand release of political prisoners

By Chamodi Gunawardana

The National Movement for the Release of Political Prisoners yesterday demanded that the Government release political prisoners who had been detained since 2009.

The movement, comprising the United Socialist Party, New Sama Samaja Party, New Democratic Party, Voice of the Left, the Equal Rights Movement, the Aluth Parapura organisation and the All Ceylon Teachers’ Union, staged a protest in front of the Welikada prison to air their demands.

They further claimed that the Government had kept those prisoners in jail for nearly seven years after the war without filing charges against them. They added that most prisoners were innocent.

The protesters also alleged that the Government had jailed innocent people after falsely branding them political prisoners while releasing dangerous LTTE cadres.  

Meanwhile, a group of Tamil prisoners at the Anuradhapura prison held a protest fast on Sunday to urge the Government to release them.

Another group of Tamil prisoners at the Welikada prison supported the protest fast, demanding the release of prisoners whom they said were imprisoned for political reasons.