Nirmala Rajasingam's Arrest

DESCRIPTION
A photograph taken soon after the trial of Nirmala Rajasingam, who along with several others was charged with harboring suspected secessionist guerillas who attacked a police station in northern Sri Lanka, killing several people. This arrest is a watershed moment in Nirmala Rajasingam's life, as she went on to survive a prison massacre and eventually defected from the LTTE and lived in exile. Nirmala Rajasingam was also recognized as a political prisoner, witth several Americans she had a personal connection to during her time in collate in MA advocating for her release from afar, garnering the attention of diplomats from the United States and United Kingdom as well as human rights organizations like Amnesty International. This period and its significance is discussed in Nirmala Rajasingam's interview for the Archival Creators Fellowship project on Ilankai Tamil Feminism.

ADDITIONAL METADATA
Date: 1983
Subject(s): Nirmala Rajasingam
Type: Photograph
Source: Archival Creators Fellowship Program
Creator: Kartik Amarnath
Contributor: Nirmala Rajasingam
Location: Colombo, Sri Lanka

PROVENANCE
Collection: Kartik Amarnath Fellowship project
Donor: Nirmala Rajasingam
Item History: 2022-07-08 (created); 2022-07-12 (modified)

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