sri lanka and its political detainees

7/24/2019 Sri Lanka and Its Political Detainees

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Sri Lanka and its political detainees

Picture courtesy NDTV

by Lionel Bopage - on 11/01/201

T!e "ail syste# in Sri Lanka and t!e $ate o$ prisoners %!o are being !eld

t!erein !a&e been discussed on se&eral occasions' %!en #a"or &iolence

occurred %it!in t!e syste#( )o%e&er' t!e #ost recent discussion %as

based on a !unger strike a group o$ detained political prisoners !ad

launc!ed( *ccording to t!e in$or#ation %e !a&e recei&ed' t!ese detainees

!a&e been !eld %it!out c!arges $or a period #uc! longer t!an t!e ti#e

t!ey %ould !a&e been spent' e&en i$ t!ey !ad been con&icted $or any

c!arges possibly broug!t against t!e#( So#e o$ t!e# %ould !a&e been
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taken into custody #uc! be$ore t!e end o$ t!e ar#ed con+ict in 200,( &en

under t!e Pre&ention o$ Terroris# *ct .PT*' pre-trial detention o$ indi&iduals

is li#ited to a #ai#u# o$ 1 #ont!s( T!us' t!e aut!orities !a&e &iolated

t!is pro&ision by !olding t!ese prisoners in detention indenitely(

Violation o$ t!e rig!ts o$ prisoners is not!ing ne% in Sri Lanka( Political

prisoners %!o are Ta#il' !a&e been sub"ected to se&ere abuse( T!e ar#ed

con+ict ended in 3ay 200, and it !as been #ore t!an si years since t!en(

)ig! 4ourt o$ Sri Lanka recently $ound a Ta#il %o#an %!o !ad been

detained $or #ore t!an 1 years in prison not guilty( 5t is not %rong to

belie&e t!at t!ere could be #any #ore prisoners' %!o are being !eld in

detention like t!is' as t!ere are no bail pro&isions #ade a&ailable under t!e

Pre&ention o$ Terroris# *ct .PT*( *ccording to t!e state' t!ese prisoners

are !eld $or aiding or abetting acts o$ terror' %!ile so#e ot!ers consider

t!e# as being !eld $or political reasons(

3y personal eperience as a detainee in 1, under t!e PT*' $or !a&ing a

discussion %it! a leader o$ Peoples6 Liberation 7rganisation o$ Ta#il ela#

.PL7T' in %!ic! 5 e#p!atically re$used to $or# an organisation si#ilar to

t!eirs in t!e sout!' %as not di8erent( 9ntil #y detention %as politically and

legally c!allenged' 5 %as !eld %it!out c!arges( Since t!e enacting o$ t!e

PT* in t!e 1,:0s' #any ci&il society organisations' political parties and

groups bot! local and o&erseas !a&e de#anded $or its repeal( T!e PT*

pro&ides t!e state and its security apparatus %ide-ranging po%ers to searc!

and arrest people and !old t!e# in detention( &idence appears to be

a&ailable t!at t!e PT* !as been used inappropriately as t!e &ague denitiono$ an act o$ terror is used to disad&antage people and co##unities( T!e

i#punity t!e state !as pro&ided to its security personnel and its

para#ilitaries !as #ade t!e situation %orse and intractable( T!is i#punity

and lack o$ accountability o$ t!e part o$ t!e state !as led to t!e plague o$

$a#ily bandyis#' nepotis#' aut!oritarianis#' corruption and #urder(


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T!e election ca#paigns conducted by t!e President in ;anuary 201' and by

t!e Pri#e 3inister led coalition in *ugust 201 discussed t!e issue o$

releasing all political prisoners( Later on t!e ne% regi#e also agreed to

release t!e#( )o%e&er' recently t!e 4abinet spokesperson and t!e 3inister

$or ;ustice o$ t!e Sri Lankan go&ern#ent !a&e reiterated t!at t!ere are no

political prisoners in Sri Lanka6s "ails( T!is is strange %!en t!e &ery sa#e

persons !a&e recognised t!e $act t!at t!e ations suc! as


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*#nesty 5nternational and t!e #edia !a&e continued to identi$y t!e# as

political prisoners(

T!is is not t!e rst ti#e' Sri Lanka !as gone t!roug! situations o$ t!is kind(

Sri Lanka !eld close to 0'000 suspects during t!e ;VP uprising in 1,:1(

T!ere !a&e been #any ot!ers' %!o !ad been !eld in t!e 1,-, period'

despite t!e alleged procedures so#e security personnel !ad $ollo%ed' o$

?not taking any prisoners@( T!e ci&il society' organisations and pro#inent

indi&iduals' particularly indi&iduals suc! as late Ven 3adi!e Pannasi!a

3a!anayaka T!ero and late 7blate Aat!er Tissa Balasuriya' 735 !ad

appealed to stop $ollo%ing t!e process o$ ?not taking any prisoners@ in non-

co#bat situations( During t!e


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T!ere are certain si#ilarities o$ t!e current situation to %!at eisted in *pril

1,:1' but at t!e sa#e ti#e t!ere are certain di8erences( T!e argu#ents

raised by t!e go&ern#ent t!en %as not dissi#ilar to t!ose raised by t!e

pre&ious and current regi#e regarding t!e prisoners !eld in detention(

During t!e se&enties' t!e go&ern#ent insisted t!at t!ere %ere no political

prisoners' and t!at only t!ose %!o aided and abetted terrorist acts %ere

being !eld in detention( Nonet!eless' %it! t!e political opposition gaining

ground in t!e country led to t!e triu#p! o$ t!e idea t!at t!ose detainees

and e&en t!ose %!o !ad been con&icted' !ad $oug!t $or an econo#ic

political causeC t!ey %ere !eld $or political reasonsC and t!ere$ore t!ey %ere

political prisoners( 5$ t!e sa#e criteria are applied' t!e Ta#il prisoners t!at

are being !eld in detention $or a long ti#e' !ad also $oug!t $or a nationalist

political cause' t!ey !a&e been !eld $or political reasons and t!ere$ore' t!ey

are also political prisoners(

* #a"or di8erence in t!e t%o situations is t!at #ost o$ t!e leaders o$ t!e

*pril 1,:1 uprising !ad been !eld in detentionC and t!at t!ey !ad been able

to lead t!e ca#paign $or t!e release o$ political prisonersC %!ile in t!e

current situation' al#ost no leader o$ t!e LTT is !eld in detention( 3ost o$

t!e# !ad been killed during t!e ar#ed con+ict and t!e rest !a&e beco#e

identied %it! t!e Sri Lankan state( 7ne could uestion t!e et!ical aspect

o$ !olding rank and le #e#bers in detention %!ile t!eir leaders !a&e

re#ained scot-$ree( 3any do#estic and international organisations !a&e

been asking t!e Sri Lankan go&ern#ent to release t!ese Ta#il political

prisoners( Locally' t!e pressure to release t!ese prisoners co#es #ainly$ro# t!e Ta#il leaders in Sri Lanka or in t!e diaspora( =ecently' Ta#il

political party leaders and certain Sin!ala acti&ists !eld protests calling on

t!e go&ern#ent to release t!ose prisoners t!at are being kept detained(

4ertain Ta#il ci&il society and political groups organised protest actions in

t!e nort! and east and also in 4olo#bo' %it! relati&es and $riends o$ t!e


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detainees playing a pro#inent role( 5nternationally' #ost o$ t!e !u#an

rig!ts organisations !as been de#anding t!e release o$ t!ese detainees(

5 can recollect t!e "udicial strategy t!e t!en go&ern#ent o$ Pri#e 3inister

Siri#a&o Bandaranaike adopted in 1,:1( T!e 4ri#inal ;ustice 4o##issions

*ct .4;4 *ct t!e t!en go&ern#ent enacted' reuired t!e accused to pro&e

t!at t!ey %ere innocent' rat!er t!an t!e prosecution pro&ing t!at t!ey are

guilty( T!is process allo%ed t!e creation o$ se&eral epedited trials( Leaders

o$ t!e insurrection %ere tried at a separate ?3ain 4;4 Trial@( So#e %ere

con&ictedC so#e %ere released' %!ile #any %ere sub"ected to lig!ter

sentences $or assisting t!e 4;4 in t!e trial( Aor t!ose %!o !ad not been

categorised as leaders o$ t!e uprising' t!e state encouraged t!e# to plead

guilty by pledging to li#it con&ictions to suspended sentences( *s !appens

a$ter t!e $ailure o$ any insurrection' c!aos pre&ailed at t!e ti#e' and #any

!eld in detention agreed to plead guilty( T!ey %ere eit!er released or gi&en

suspended sentences(

&en t!ose con&icted by t!e 4;4 %ere eit!er pardoned or released %!en t!e

Parlia#ent repealed t!e 4;4 *ct( T!is %as again due to t!e actions o$ ci&il

society' political groups and #any ot!er indi&iduals t!at opposed t!e

&iolation o$ rule o$ la% and t!e in"ustices co##itted under t!e i#position o$

state o$ e#ergency and t!e 4;4 pro&isions( 7ne o$ t!e #a"or ca#paign

issues during t!e ;uly 1,:: parlia#entary elections %as t!at o$ t!e political

prisoners t!at !ad been detained or con&icted under t!e 4;4 *ct( T!e

traditional le$t parties supported 3rs Bandaranaike during t!e electionca#paign( )o%e&er' t!e #ain opposition led by t!e 9nited National Party

%on t!e elections gaining 1E0 o$ t!e 1F seats( T!e SLAP %on only eig!t

seats and t!e traditional le$t %on none( Soon a$ter t!e $or#ation o$ t!e ne%

go&ern#ent t!e 4;4 *ct %as repealed under t!e 4ri#inal ;ustice

4o##issions .=epeal La% .No( 12 o$ 1,::(


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5n 1,,' President =anasing!e Pre#adasa li$ted t!e state o$ e#ergency

t!at %as i#posed in 1,< allegedly to counter t!e LTT led ar#ed struggle(

)e also arranged to release #ore t!an 200 political prisoners t!at %ere

being !eld %it!out trial under t!e e#ergency regulations( Later on #any

#ore political prisoners %ere also $reed and included so#e o$ t!e Sin!ala

political prisoners t!at !ad been detained under t!e e#ergency la%s(

4urrently' about


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organisations and political leaders( T!e President s!ould consider granting

a#nesty to or pardon all political prisoners as a good%ill gesture to%ards

reconciliation o$ all co##unities in Sri Lanka( *s Sri Lanka6s Aoreign

3inister stated recently at t!e 9nited Nations )u#an =ig!ts 4ouncil' let us

set an ea#ple o$ up!olding t!e uni&ersal &alues o$ euality' "ustice' and

$reedo# by $ostering reconciliation bet%een co##unities and securing a

political settle#ent( Let us design' dene and create our $uture by our

!opes and aspirations' and not be !eld back by t!e $ears and pre"udices o$

t!e past(

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sri lanka and its political detainees

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