Protest against Lanka’s PTA at University of Massachusetts Amherst 

A protest was held on 14 September at the University of Massachusetts Amherst in solidarity with student activists in Sri Lanka who are being detained by the Sri Lankan Government under the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act. 

The protest was organised by the Progressive South Asian Students’ Forum in Amherst, Massachusetts supported by several student bodies on the campus. 

The speeches made at the protest by students from Sri Lanka, Pakistan and India highlighted the concerning pattern in South Asia of the abuse of anti-democratic laws to detain student activists and stifle their right to dissent.

A statement was released following the protests endorsed by student bodies including the Graduate Employees Organisation (a unit of the United Auto Workers union), Graduate Students of Colour Association and the Economics Graduate Students Organisation.