Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

British Tamils demonstrate for the release of Tamil activist and daughter

Tamils protest outside Downing Street in London (Pictures: @tamilguardian)

British Tamils gathered on Whitehall today to call for the release of Tamil activist Jeyakumari and her daughter Vipoosika, who were arrested by Sri Lankan police in Kilinochchi on Thursday.

Calling on the British government to act, the protestors demanded that Britain puts pressure on Sri Lanka to release the activist and her daughter. Jeyakumari and her 13-year-old daughter gained prominence during Prime Minister David Cameron's visit to Sri Lanka, when they were protesting to bring attention to Tamils who had disappeared, including Jeyakumari's son, who has been missing since 2009.

The protestors staged a sit-in protest outside the entrance to Downing Street, blocking traffic, before being moved back to a designated area by the Metropolitan Police.

Follow @TamilGuardian for live coverage.

See related articles:

SL Army accuses Ananthi Sasitharan of making 'misleading' statements over Jeyakumari-Vipoosika arrest (15 Mar 2014)

Tamils protest in Vavuniya against detention of Jeyakumari and Vipoosika (15 Mar 2014)

BTF: Arrest of disappearances campaigner underscores need for strong UNHRC resolution (14 Mar 2014)

SL Foreign Minister dismisses concern over arrest of disappearances campaigner and daughter (14 Mar 2014)

TNA condemns arrest of Tamil activist, govt trying to 'send a message' says MP (14 Mar 2014)

‘This is a serious threat' warned detained Tamil campaigner in interview to C4 last month (14 Mar 2014)

Heavy military presence in Vanni (14 Mar 2014)

Detained Tamil campaigner held under PTA act by TDI (14 Mar 2014)

Tamils fearful after disappearances campaigner and daughter arrested by SL police (13 Mar 2014)

Tamil 'Disappearances' campaigner and 13y daughter held by Sri Lankan military (13 Mar 2014)

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.