Hartal shuts down Jaffna in protest over Tamil political prisoners

A hartal has been declared in Jaffna today, with businesses across the north shut down in protest against the continued detention of Tamil political prisoners.
Restaurants, pharmacies, commercial banks and even many local bus routes were halted for the day. Schools across Jaffna also joined the shutdown.
The move comes as Sri Lanka's armed Special Task Force officers were deployed to Jaffna on Friday, surrounding Tamils protesting outside the Northern governor's office against the ongoing detention of Tamil political prisoners.