Court directs IGP to expedite release of Tamil detainees

[TamilNet, Saturday, 15 December 2007, 13:19 GMT]
The Supreme Court Friday directed the Inspector General of Police to take immediate steps to release all Tamil civilians detained in police stations and Boosa detention centre found not involved in any crime after inquiry and to produce others in courts. The three-member bench of the Supreme Court chaired by Chief Justice Sarath Silva issued this directive in a Fundamental Rights Violation petition filed by the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC) against the mass arrest of Tamil civilians soon after the Nugegoda bomb blast, legal sources in Colombo said.

The Attorney General submitted to the Supreme Court when the FR petition was taken up for further inquiry Friday that 157 Tamil civilians were still being detained in the Boosa detention camp and 93 being detained in several police stations in the Colombo district.

The SC further instructed the IGP to complete the inquiry against Tamil civilians detained in police stations within one week and against detainees in Boosa detention centre in two weeks.

The Court further directed the IGP to allow two representatives named by the petitioner- CWC to visit the detainees in police stations and Boosa detention centre.