Protest in Sri Lanka calling to free political prisoners

Families of missing and detained persons in Sri Lanka today staged a protest outside the Welikada Prison. A group calling Movement to Free Political Prisoners, comprising political parties and civil activists, organized the protest. Family members carrying placards with names and photographs of the missing and detained demonstrated outside the prison with representatives of opposition parties and trade unions.
The protestors called on the authorities to release the political prisoners if legal action is not resorted against them. They called for details about the missing persons and the detainees to be publicized for the families to know about them. Prison Reforms Minister Chandrasiri Gajadeera, in response to the allegations that the government holding political prisoners, has said that there are no political prisoners in the country. The government earlier in the month announced that it has made available the list of named of the persons currently being detained to the family members.