STF NA MÍDIA

Gopithas, who had a stroke
in 2007 and suffers from
heart problems and high blood
pressure, says that conditions
in the overcrowded
prison are affecting his health
and that he is not getting
proper access to medical treatment.
"He sleeps on a concrete
floor with no mattress
and there s no ventilation or
fans or anything," a relative
told the Guardian.
"Sanitation-wise, it s full of
cockroaches and bedbugs
and a lot of things. It s not a
sanitary place. They have to
queue for the toilets: there
are two toilets for 80-100
people."
Gopithas has also told his
family that he would rather
die than face indefinite detention
as he knows he is not
the only one suffering. "He
says it would be better if he
died or if they shot him because
it would stop his suffering
and the family s suffering,"
said another relative.
"He says everyone s suffering
because of him, including
his father, who s 80
years old and comes every
day to bring his food."
The Foreign Office says it
has pressed the Sri Lankan
authorities to expedite their
investigation since 2007 and
would continue to do so, adding
that Gopithas was receiving
regular consular visits.
A spokesman said: "FCO
minister Alistair Burt raised
Mr Gopithas s continued
detention without charge
with the Sri Lankan foreign
minister, [G L] Peiris in June
this year … [and] more broadly,
the UK has regularly
expressed its concern about
legislation in Sri Lanka that
allows for prolonged detention
without charge."
The Guardian also understands
that there is frustration
within the British government
that Gopithas has neither
been tried nor released.
A debate on the human rights
situation in Sri Lanka
will be held Thursday afternoon.
The charity Fair Trials International
has filed an application
before the UN human
rights committee challenging
Gopithas s indefinite detention
under the PTA, and asked
the British government to
raise the matter with Colombo.
"The Sri Lankan conflict
ended years ago but thousands
of people, including
Mr Gopithas, still languish
under so-called emergency
laws with no trial and no end
date to their detention," said
Jago Russell, the charity s
chief executive.
"British authorities must
pressure the Sri Lankan authorities
to either try Mr Gopithas
fairly or put an end to
his arbitrary detention, and
allow him to return home to
his wife and two young daughters
in London."
Lee Scott, the Conservative
MP for Ilford North and chair
of the all-party parliamentary
group for Tamils, said it
was time Gopithas s case was
dealt with. "I have called for
a fair trial with full evidence
to be brought forward," he
said. "After this length of
time this should now be resolved
urgently and fairly."
Father S J Emmanuel, president
of the Global Tamil
Forum, said: "Whilst we
welcome the withdrawal of
the emergency laws, we are
even more concerned about
the current trend in which
suppressive laws such as the
PTA and the most recent law
are being legislated. Previously,
emergency rule extensions
had to be passed through
parliament on a monthly
basis, however by legislating
these same kinds of laws, the
government is avoiding all
checks and balances."
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