LNP - Student held under PTA for nine months to be produced in court

The case of a 21-year-old student detained for nearly nine months under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) will be taken up in court today (July 9). Mohamed Rifai Mohamed Suhail, an aviation student from Mawanella, was arrested in October 2024 after posting a video on Instagram showing the Israeli flag being trampled, BBC Sinhala reported.  He was initially taken into custody by Dehiwala Police near the Israeli consular office for failing to carry his national identity card and later released when the document was produced in court. However, Suhail was re-arrested and remanded under the PTA in connection with the Instagram video, despite the court previously releasing him without bail. His lawyer alleges that no formal charges have been filed and no evidence has been presented by police to support the detention. The prolonged incarceration has drawn criticism from rights groups, legal experts, and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, which has been formally notified. Meanwhile, Suhail’s family has lodged a complaint, calling for his immediate release.