Trinco Tamil youth files FR petition in Supreme Court

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 June 2007, 10:33 GMT]
A fundamental rights petition was filed Wednesday in the Sri Lanka's Supreme Court seeking the release of a Trincomalee Tamil youth who is detained in Boosa detention camp located in Galle. Rev.Fr.V.Yoheswaran, a human rights activist on behalf of the youth Navaneethan Sathiskumar, 28, filed the petition through his counsel Mr.Manjula Balasuriya.

The petitioner Rev.Fr.Yogeswaran who is also lawyer states in his application that according to Sathiskumar's mother Seethalakshmi, her son was arrested on 25 May 2005 in connection with an incident of a grenade attack. The Trincomalee Magistrate released him on bail after ten months' in remand, as there was no evidence against him.

The Trincomalee police again arrested him on January 21 this year. He was sent to Boosa detention on March 30 after being detained in the police station since his arrest.

The petitioner further states that the police had obtained Sathiskumar's signature on documents written in Sinhalese language only and not providing Tamil translation. Sathiskumar had signed these documents on the promise given by the police that he would be released from the custody if he signed.

The petitioner adds that the police have not given any reason for the arrest of Sathiskumar. It is illegal to arrest a person who has been released on bail in a case pending in Trincomalee courts.

The petitioner begs the Supreme Court to declare that the arrest and detention of Sathiskumar is illegal and the fundamental rights of the youth have been violated. The petitioner prays that the court should order the release of the youth and to order Rs. 200,000 as compensation, legal sources said.