JVP not allowed to visit A’pura prisoners: Udul

28 November 2011 01:27 pm

The attempts by JVP dissidents to visit LTTE inmates in the Anuradhapura prison were thwarted by the prison authorities yesterday, a dissident member said today.
 
Dissident member Udul Premaratne who is the former Convener of the Inter University Students’ Federation (IUSF) said that he, along with a group of lawyers wanted to enter the prison premises to see these inmates who were allegedly assaulted by some other prisoners after they tried to celebrate Maveera Day in coincidence with the birth anniversary of slain LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
 
Mr. Premaratne said that the senior prison officials did not allow his team to enter the prison premises.
 
“These LTTE inmates have stopped as a mark of protest. We do not believe that these inmates tried to celebrate Mahaveera Day. There are LTTE members held in other prisons. No such thing happened in them,” he said.
 
Mr. Premaratne said that he would complain to the Bar Association of Sri Lanka about this incident.
 
“Lawyers should be allowed to visit any suspect. But, that right was not guaranteed by the officials of the Anuradhapura prison,” he said. (Kelum Bandara)