Tortured detainee released

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 25 May 1999, 17:38 GMT]
The Eastern High Court Judge Mr.A.N.Ramachandran today discharged an accused charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act when the State Counsel moved that he was withdrawing the case on the instruction of the Attorney General.

In this case, Periyathamby Sivasubramaniam(19) of Porativu, Thirupalugamam was charged that he had undergone arms training in the Tiger movement between December,1995 and April, 1996 and also for aiding and abetting the murder of a police officer at Mandur between January and December in 1996.

It transpired in court that the accused was arrested on 8th June .97 at Kottamunai bridge in Batticaloa by the Razik group of the Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front. He was later handed over to the army intelligence unit. Thereafter the Counter-Subversive Unit of the Police took the accused into their custody. The accused was detained for the last two years under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

When a fundamental rights violation case was filed in the Supreme Court on behalf of the accused for being detained without inquiry, the Attorney General indicted the accused in the Batticaloa High Court on the above charges.

When the case was taken up for inquiry today at the Batticaloa session of the Eastern High Court, the District Judicial Medical Officer, Batticaloa Dr. S.Chandrapalan in his medical report stated that he examined the accused on the orders of the Supreme Court. He added that the accused had been tortured severely after the arrest by the Razik group of the E.P.R.L.F. Dr.Chandrapalan further said that he noticed thirty injuries on the body of accused.

At that stage, the State Counsel Mr.B.Sasi Mahendra submitted an application to court that he was withdrawing the case on the instruction of the Attorney General.

Attorney-at-Law Mr.K.Thangavadivelu with Mr.J.N.Ameen appeared for the accused.