Thread by @ambikasat

1/ #RepealPTA

Rathinam Kamalaharan who was working for the Civil Security Division (CSD) was arrested in July 2020 under #PTA and released in April 2022 on bail. He has to go to court twice a month and sign on last Sunday of month. He obtained a loan of Rs 650,000 in Jan 2020.

2/He has 3 children under the age of 10. His family struggled to meet basic needs while he was in prison. Even though out on bail he can’t return to CSD & has difficulty finding other work. Crt has ordered them to pay back loan with interest, which they don’t have ability to.

3/He is likely to lose his land (his only asset) as part of debt settlement, in which case they will be homeless.

Most of ppl arrested under #PTA are economically deprived, & marginalized. In addition to emotional stress, their imprisonment pushes families further into poverty.

4/Even though out on bail they can’t resume their lives as they’re stigmatized. The investigation and judicial processes are protracted and become a form of collective punishment, i.e. of person and their family. They are also dependent on legal aid for legal representation.

5/‘The process is the punishment’.

The process is deliberately constructed to be the punishment.

Families devastated by #PTA require support to rebuild lives, but such support is negligible. Repeal #PTA & in interim impose immediate moratorium on its use.

@EU_in_Sri_Lanka