Tamil political prisoners in Mahara prison launch protest fast

[TamilNet, Thursday, 03 July 2008, 00:43 GMT]
Thirty-five Tamil political prisoners transferred to Mahara Prison began a protest fast Wednesday demanding to be sent back to Colombo Remand Prison. The prisoners said they will continue fasting until their demand is met by the authorities.

Earlier, 60 Tamil political prisoners detained in Magazine Prison in Colombo due to security reason had protested when they were transferred to Boosa Camp.

They were moved back to Magazine Prison as a result of their protest.

68 Tamil detainees, transferred from New Magazine prison in Colombo Saturday May 12 by the Terrorist Investigation Department (TID), were verbally abused, tortured, and subjected to sexual abuse at the Boosa Prison in Galle, according to media reports.

The maximum security Mahara Prison is one of the large prisons in Sri Lanka.

Situated in the old city of Mahara in the Western Province it was built in 1875 by the British colonial government to ease the congestion at the Slave Island prison, and used to house the prisoners employed in crushing stones at the Mahara quarry.