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Jaffna political prisoner declares hunger strike

A Tamil political prisoner has declared a hunger-strike to highlight the ongoing delays in the release of Tamil political prisoners.

Currently being held at the Jaffna Prison, 36-year-old S. Jeleepan is undertaking the hunger strike, which has already come to the attention of the Commissioner General of Prisons.

Jeleepan, originally from Achuveli, was arrested in 2006 while travelling from Mullaitivu to Polannaruwa.

He was held under the Prevention of Terrorism Act under charges of plotting to assassinate the current President and then government minister, Maithripala Sirisena; receiving combat training in Jaffna; and carrying out attacks.

Jeleepan has been detained without trial for six years, since the Assistant Superintendent that extracted a confession from him, named as Senakumarasinghe, never took the case to the Jaffna High Court.

The purpose of the hungerstrike is to raise awareness of the situation of political prisoners like himself, said Jeleepan, who are being detained under false charges.

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