The Sri Lankan attorney-general has denied Tamil political prisoners’ requests to keep their cases in Vavuniya, citing concerns about witness protection.
Three detainees at the Anuradhapura prison were admitted to hospital yesterday after their hunger-strike led to a severe deterioration in their health.
They were protesting against the transferral of their cases from Vavuniya High Court to Anuradhapuram, with the language barrier a key issue as well as the financial strain on their families to travel and to secure legal representatives that were willing to travel.
The TNA MP and lawyer M. A. Sumanthiran said he had contacted the attorney-general on behalf of the political prisoners.
The attorney-general said the cases could not be moved back as witnesses would face security threats in Vavuniya.
Protests in solidarity with the political prisoners took place in Jaffna and Vavuniya today.
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