A Tamil youth has been arrested in Point Pedro, Jaffna for their participation in the Pottuvil to Polikandy (P2P) march earlier this month.
The 26 year old who was identified by his motorbike registration number was released from Point Pedro police station after a six hour interrogation.
This is the first arrest to take place over participation in the P2P five day rally. Earlier this week, court summons were issued to a series of Tamil parliamentarians for their participation in the peaceful march, after Sri Lankan public security minister Sarath Weerasekara said cases would be filed against protesters and added that Tamil parliamentarians should be teargassed and arrested.
In an interview with Hiru TV, Weerasekara warned:
"Now we have their photos and we have their vehicle numbers, we know who these individuals are. We can sue them and confiscate all their vehicles and put them in prison...We have already started the process. Within the next few days, we will file cases against them."
The aim of the 'walk of justice' was to highlight the ongoing issues faced by Tamils and Muslims and to call on the UN and the international community to heed Tamil calls for accountability and justice.
Read more here: From Pottuvil to Polikandy: Why are Tamils marching?
Throughout the P2P march, protesters were met with heavy resistance from the state. Protesters bravely resisted numerous court bans, encounters with the Sri Lankan army, police and violent mobs, as they marched through the homeland.
