Paris protest demands release of Tamil rapper Sangeethsan

A protest condemning the arrest of Tamil rapper Ganeshkumar Sangeethsan and opposing Sri Lanka’s continued use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) was held at Place du Trocadéro in Paris on Thursday.

The demonstration, organised by Tamil Traditional Network-France, took place from 4pm to 6pm at the landmark location, which has often been used for protests and international human rights campaigns.

Participants called for the immediate release of Sangeethsan, a 24-year-old rapper from Udayanagar in Kilinochchi, who was arrested after Sri Lankan authorities alleged that videos uploaded to social media following a temple festival performance in Navatkuli, Chavakachcheri, promoted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Protesters denounced the continued application of the PTA, stating that the legislation has long been used to suppress fundamental freedoms and disproportionately target Eelam Tamils.

They raised concerns over what they described as the ongoing use of the law to enable arbitrary arrests, prolonged detention without trial and restrictions on political, cultural and artistic expression.

Sangeethsan’s detention has sparked growing outrage across the Tamil homeland and abroad. Protests demanding his release have already been held in Vavuniya, Kilinochchi, Valvettithurai, Mannar and Colombo, with demonstrators calling for the rapper’s freedom and the repeal of the PTA.

The campaign has also drawn international attention, with Amnesty International calling for Sangeethsan’s release. Tamil diaspora organisations and political representatives abroad, including Ontario minister Vijay Thanigasalam, have also condemned his detention and called for Sri Lanka to repeal the PTA.

Organisers said the Paris demonstration aimed to raise public awareness of the human rights implications of the PTA and to highlight the wider impact of emergency-style security laws on Eelam Tamils.

They said the arrest of a Tamil artist over his music reflected a broader pattern of criminalising Tamil memory, history and expression under the guise of national security.

The PTA has long been condemned by Tamil political representatives, civil society groups and international human rights organisations for enabling prolonged detention, coercive interrogation and the suppression of Tamil political expression. Despite repeated pledges by successive Sri Lankan governments to repeal or replace the legislation, it remains in force and continues to be used against Tamils.

For Tamil activists in Paris, Sangeethsan’s case has become a symbol of the continuing repression faced by Tamils more than seventeen years after the end of the armed conflict.