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Following growing demands to release all Tamil political prisoners, Sri Lanka’s Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe met with the relatives of those detained alongside the leader of the Tamil Makkal Thesiya Kootan (TMTK), CV Wigneswaran.
During the meeting, Rajapakshe claimed that the government is “considering the release of remaining political prisoners”. He further highlighted a spate of recent releases to signal that the government was taking a positive stance toward the issue.
However, the most recent release has been for those who were detained recently as opposed to prisoners who have remained imprisoned for over a decade. Voice of the Voiceless, an NGO established to advocate for the release of Tamil political prisoners, has estimated that there are at least 46 Tamil political prisoners who have been detained for 10 – 26 years. The government is yet to release a full list of those detained under its draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act.
Member of Parliament C. Vigneswaran and Northern Province Governor's Secretary Vakeesan and Minister Wijayadasa Rajapaksa's friend Karunakaran attended the said meeting.
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