Colombo High Court acquits Tamil political prisoner detained for 10 years under PTA

by Abi
Oct 26, 2017

A Tamil political prisoner has been acquitted after a decade of detention and repeated attempts at conviction by the Sri Lankan state.

Kanagarathnam Jeevaratnam was acquitted of charges under the Prevention of Terrorism Act by the Colombo High Court on Thursday morning.

Mr Jeevaratnam was abducted by Karuna’s paramilitary group in Trincomalee on 23rd June 2007 and handed over to Sri Lankan police.

After questioning by the Terrorism Investigation Department, police filed charges under the PTA at Trincomalee Court.

With an acquittal seeming likely after the Trincomalee High Court threw out a confession on 6th June 2012, Mr Jeevaratnam’s case was suddenly transferred to Colombo by the Sri Lankan attorney-general in 2014.

Represented by veteran human rights lawyer K. S. Ratnavale, Mr Jeevaratnam, now 46, was found not guilty of all charges filed against him by the Colombo High Court on Thursday.

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