BY Pamodi WaravitaDetained poet Ahnaf Jazeem’s mother has submitted a written representation to the Advisory Board of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979 as amended (PTA), requesting his immediate release, Jazeem’s legal representative, Attorney-at-Law (AAL) Sanjaya Wilson Jayasekera, told The Morning yesterday (28). On 25 August, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa appointed an Advisory Board, under Article 13 of the PTA, to which any person under a detention order under the PTA may make representations. Presidential Secretariat Director General of Legal Affairs and AAL Harigupta Rohanadeera has stated that the Advisory Board is due to provide recommendations on 46 detainees. A number of local and international organisations, including Amnesty International, have condemned this arbitrary arrest and called for the poet’s immediate release.

Source: The Nation September 28, 2021 17:48 UTC