An award-winning Tamil writer has called for all citizens who favour reconciliation to unite for the freedom of political prisoners.
Selliah Satishkumar made the call on March 19 after receiving a presidential pardon following 15 years behind bars over accusations of aiding and abetting the LTTE.
Arrested under the PTA in 2008, the ambulance driver at Kilinochchi General Hospital was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2011.
The appeal court upheld the verdict given by the Vavuniya high court, but he appealed again in 2017.
As that case was being heard, president Ranil Wickremesinghe pardoned him on February 01, 2023.
He was received outside New Magazine Prison by Tamil activists upon receiving freedom.
While in prison, he wrote several books of poetry and short stories, and won the best Tamil independent writer’s award at the state literary awards last October.
