Representatives of the Association of Families of the Forcibly Disappeared led a protest in Vavuniya on Friday over the arrest of Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar under Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), demanding his unconditional release and calling for urgent international intervention, including from United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The demonstration was held as Sangeethsan, better known as Hiphop Sangee, was released on bail by the Chavakachcheri Magistrate's Court on 12 June, after the Attorney General moved to drop the PTA charges and proceed instead under Section 120 of the Penal Code, the lesser offence of exciting disaffection. The case against him has not been withdrawn, however, and the investigation continues, with protesters demanding that the charges be dropped altogether and that he be cleared.
Organisers strongly condemned the arrest and alleged that it formed part of a broader pattern of repression against Tamil political, cultural and artistic expression. They said the continued use of the PTA against Tamils remained deeply concerning, and accused the Sri Lankan state of targeting voices from the North-East rather than addressing longstanding issues such as militarisation, land occupation and the plight of the families of the disappeared.
The group further alleged that renewed references to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), nearly seventeen years after the end of the armed conflict in 2009, were being used as a political tool to generate fear among the Sinhala population and secure political support in the south, despite the absence of any functioning armed organisation today.
They emphasised that Tamils have historically inhabited the North-East of the island and asserted, in line with international principles of self-determination and human rights, their right to determine their own political future.
Calling for urgent action from the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and other democratic states, the group appealed for international and diaspora support to protect Tamil rights. It issued a series of demands: the immediate and unconditional release of Sangeethsan, the repeal of the PTA, accountability and truth regarding enforced disappearances, an end to militarisation and land appropriation in the North-East, the protection of freedom of expression for Tamils, and the recognition of Tamil political rights.
The protest reflects the particular standing of the Association of Families of the Forcibly Disappeared, whose members have maintained continuous roadside demonstrations across the North-East for years, demanding answers about relatives who disappeared after surrendering to or being detained by the Sri Lankan military at the end of the war. As many as 169,796 Tamils remain unaccounted for, and successive Sri Lankan governments have failed to provide the families with answers. For those families, the invocation of the PTA against a young Tamil artist is of a piece with the impunity they have confronted for years.
The group also urged the global Tamil diaspora to act, stating that millions of Tamils worldwide possessed the resources, knowledge and political strength to support their community and contribute to a democratic future for the homeland.
