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A protest was held outside the Sri Lankan High Commission in London on Thursday, organised by Freedom Hunters for Tamils (FHFT), demanding justice for Tamil rapper Sangeethsan Ganeskumar and an end to the use of Sri Lanka's Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) against Tamils.
Demonstrators gathered carrying placards and banners calling for the rapper's release and condemning the PTA as an instrument of repression long criticised by human rights organisations for enabling arbitrary detention. Speakers argued that the arrest reflected a broader pattern of targeting Tamils through security legislation, and that the case raised serious concerns over freedom of expression, due process and civil liberties.
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"The continued use of the PTA against Tamils remains a matter of serious concern," organisers said. "We stand in solidarity with Sangeethsan Ganeskumar and call upon the Sri Lankan authorities to uphold justice, due process and fundamental human rights."
Protesters called on the international community, including the United Kingdom, to monitor the case closely and to press Sri Lanka over the PTA and its impact on Tamils.
Sangeethsan, better known as Hiphop Sangee, is a 24-year-old rapper from Kilinochchi who was arrested on 2 June after Sri Lankan police alleged that videos he uploaded following a temple festival performance in Chavakachcheri, Jaffna promoted the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
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Since the London protest, the Attorney General withdrew the PTA charge and moved to proceed under Section 120 of the Penal Code, the lesser offence of exciting disaffection, and Sangeethsan was released on bail by the Chavakachcheri Magistrate's Court. The case against him has not been withdrawn, however, and the investigation continues.
The London demonstration was the latest in a campaign that has spanned the Tamil homeland and the diaspora. Protests were held across the North-East, the case was raised repeatedly in the Sri Lankan parliament and taken to the European Union in Brussels, and international condemnation came from the mayor of Brampton, Tamil youth and student organisations in Canada and the United Kingdom, Indian artists and politicians, and Amnesty International, which cited the case in renewed calls for the immediate repeal of the PTA.
