Rajasekar with his lawyer KV Thavarasa
A Tamil political prisoner who was held for 12 years under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) was finally released after being acquitted of all charges yesterday.
Khandappu Rajasekar from Karaveddy in Jaffna had been arrested and detained by Sri Lankan officials on 19 October 2010. He had remained in Sri Lankan custody ever since.
After years of efforts, he was finally released on Tuesday.
Rajasekar is one of dozens, possibly hundreds, of Tamil political prisoners detained in Sri Lankan jails. Many of them are being detained under the PTA, a piece of legislation that has come under increasing scrutiny in recent months.
Read more in our editorial: The same old act
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