The death of the British Tamil political prisoner Visvalingam Gopithas was due to a heart attack, Sri Lanka’s Department of Prisons claimed.
Commissioner General of Prisons, Chandraratne Pallegama said that the inmate had fallen ill yesterday morning and died shortly after being admitted to the prison hospital.
Fellow inmates had previously expressed their suspicions surrounding the circumstances of his death, reported the Uthayan on Monday.
A spokesperson for the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office meanwhile told the Tamil Guardian that it was aware of Mr Gopithas’ death.
“We are aware of the death of a British national and are providing consular assistance,” the spokesperson said.
Mr Gopithas was held without charge for 5 years since 2007, under Sri Lanka's notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act and was then convicted of supporting the LTTE, a charge he denied.
(Edited at 20:30GMT to include details on conviction)
British Tamil political prisoner found dead in Sri Lankan prison (24 Feb 2014)
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