Tamil journalist, Murugupillai Kokulathasan, has been released on bail today by Valaichenai Magistrate court, after being held in detention for over 470 days under the notorious Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
Locally known as Kokul, the photographer attached to Batticaloa Press Club was arrested on November 28, 2020, by the Sri Lanka's Terrorism Investigation Department (TID) over allegations that he had published pictures of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) on Facebook.
After being arrested, he was taken under police custody to the local police station before being transferred to Colombo. Reports suggest that Gokulan was taken to the fourth floor of the CID headquarters in Colombo, an infamous torture site.
Following his arrest, Reporters Without Borders called on Sri Lanka to drop the "Kafkaesque" charges against Kokul.
"Murugupillai Kokulathasan's arrest and continuing detention on a Kafkaesque terrorism charge clearly constitutes a press freedom violation," said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF's Asia-Pacific desk.
"We urge the attorney general of Sri Lanka, Dappula de Livera, to order his immediate and unconditional release. The security forces must stop harassing all journalists who refer to the Tamil issue, whether directly or indirectly," he added.
The next hearing on Kokul's case will take place on June 13, 2022.
