Colombo frames cases to prolong imprisonment of Tamil political prisoners

30-year-old Sulaxan Mathiyarasan, who was detained by the occupying Sinhala military at Mu'l'livaaykkaal on the final day of genocidal onslaught on Vanni on 18 May 2009, and later languished in three prisons for more than 7 years without a valid case, is now facing a newly framed case in which the so-called ‘Terrorist Investigation Division’ has used statements obtained under torture from other inmates, who were former LTTE members. The TID is arguing that for security reasons, the cases where ex-LTTE members’ statements were being used, should be moved to courts in the South for ‘security’ reasons. There are 132 Tamil political prisoners currently detained in the prisons of genocidal Sri Lanka while whereabouts of thousands, subjected to forced disappearance or filtered away from the survivors of 2009 genocide, is not yet known

The SL military detained Sulaxan at a military check post on 18 May in 2009. He was later jailed at Anuradhapura prison before being transferred to New Magazine prison in Colombo. He is now imprisoned in Anuradhapura prison.

A case was filed against Sulaxan at the High Court in Vavuniyaa on 23 July 2013. The case was later withdrawn.

Mr Sulaxan was continuously detained despite there was no new charges filed against him. Several appeals were sent by his mother to SL Attorney General, who was urging the SL AG to release her only son. Sulaxan's father passed away in 2012 and his mother is struggling to look after the family.

Now, the SL TID has framed a new case and is trying to transfer his case to Anuradhapura courts citing ‘security’ reasons. The SL TID is claiming that it was filing the case based on the statements given by two ex-LTTE members, who were also being detained in the prison.

Legal sources representing the former LTTE members say the statements the TID cites were obtained under torture.