Tamil political prisoners request new Justice Minister to intervene and secure their release

Tamil political prisoners being held at the New Magazine Prison have requested Sri Lanka's newly appointed Justice Minister Rauf Hakeem to release them on bail.

In a letter to the Minister, they had expressed hope that there would be a just resolution to their grievances.

"Our parents suffered greatly during the war and are still living a life of sorrow just like us. We are also experiencing agony in prison after being held in prison for many years," the letter has stated.

"There are about 765 Tamil prisoners including pregnant mothers, infants, crippled persons and the aged being incarcerated with many diseases minus medical facilities. We feel abandoned," the letter has further noted.

The Tamil prisoners have called on Hakeem to honor his pledge to intervene to secure the release of political prisoners.

"You had promised that you would directly intervene for the release of political prisoners and that you would visit the prison to collect the details of all such prisoners in order to raise this issue in Parliament along with Tamil National Alliance," they have said.

The Tamil political prisoners claim that repeated requests to President Mahinda Rajapaksa himself for justice has gone unheard.