Women protesting in Rameswaram in Tamil Nadu for the release of the five fishermen sentenced to death in Sri Lanka
Over 500 fishermen gathered today for a peaceful protest and one-day fast in Rameswaram to demand the release of the five fishermen who have been sentenced to death by a court in Sri Lanka for alleged drug trafficking.
The five fishermen, all hailing from Tamil Nadu, were apprehended in 2011 by the Sri Lankan Navy on charges of smuggling drugs in the seas off northern Jaffna's Delft islet.
Among the protesters was Valace, two-year old son of Emerson, one of the fishermen jailed in Sri Lanka. Valace has never seen his father and has only heard tales about him from his older 7-year-old sister.
Lavinia, Emerson's wife, repeatedly appeals through the media, "please bring Emerson back. This is cheating. Sri Lanka has not done right."
"Rajapakse has said in Modi's ceremony that the fishermen will be released. But what is this? They are falsely convicted," said Nalayansalavan, a protesting fisherman.
The sentencing of the fishermen has sparked protests all across Tamil Nadu.