On AG’s assurance:

13 Tamil prisoners call off hunger strike

by Rukshana Rizwie

The 13 Tamil prisoners on a hunger strike at the New Magazine Prison have called off their strike following an assurance that their cases would be individually investigated by the Attorney General’s Department on March 23, Minister of Prisons Reforms, Rehabilitation, Resettlement, D.M. Swaminathan told the Sunday Observer.

Minister Swaminathan said he held lengthy discussions with the Attorney General but would not override the AG’s decision.

“The AG is considering the steps to be taken, since some of the charges against the prisoners were serious,” he said. “Charges have been filed and we will see if there is substantial evidence to prove the crimes.”

The Minister said the prisoners may have been framed and it would be premature to rule out any other possibilities. Leader of the Opposition R.Sampanthan who raised the matter in Parliament this week slammed the government for dragging its feet on the release of the detainees. He argued that the prisoners who were detained “were not charged with crimes against society but charged with crimes which have political dimensions”. He called their continued detention ‘incompatible’ with transitional justice.

“We have been assured that steps are being taken to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA),” Minister Swaminathan said.

The Tamil prisoners are being held under the PTA, a draconian piece of legislation widely considered incompatible with international standards and transitional justice.