Tamil political parties have united to call for a hartal on October 20 across the North-East in support of Mullaitivu judge T Saravanarajah, who fled the island in the face of death threats last month.
The parties have called for the total shutdown of the North-East and to demand an investigation into the threats made against Judge Saravanarajah.
The threats and pressure stem principally from his involvement in the contentious Kurunthurmalai archaeological site cases. Judge Saravanarajah revealed that various individuals in government had been exerting immense pressure on him to alter his judgements in these cases. He specifically mentioned the threats made by MP Sarath Weerasekara during parliamentary debates and other public forums.
Since his resignation, demonstrations have taken place across the North-East to denounce the threats made against Judge Saravanarajah and the lack of judicial independence in Sri Lanka.
