Tamil families from Jaffna arrived in Colombo today to visit their relatives who have been languishing for years in Welikada and Magazine prisons.
The families set off from Jaffna Press Club yesterday afternoon to bring international attention to the plight of Tamil political prisoners on National Prisoners' Day.
On National Prisoners' Day, those detained under the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) are allowed special visits from their family members who are allowed to stay for hours and bring food with them.
12 Tamil political prisoners in Magazine prison, who were detained between 2019 and 2020, have been hunger striking for five days to demand their release.
It is unknown how many continue to be detained under the PTA, but lawmakers claim hundreds of Tamil political prisoners continue to be detained in Sri Lankan prisons under the act.
UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet noted in her latest report that "there remain 47 long-term prisoners under the PTA, 22 of whom are serving sentences and 25 of whom are at various stages of appeal" while there are a "larger number of detainees from more recent years, particularly after the Easter Sunday attacks."
