The Puttalam High Court has granted bail to poet and teacher Ahnaf Jazeem who has been detained for more than one and a half years under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
26-year-old poet Ahnaf Jazeem was arrested in May 2020 after his book Nawarasam was found in a building belonging to the Save the Pearls in Puttalam.
He was arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) over allegations that he had promoted extremism and violence in children and aided and abetted Muslim extremism through his literary work.
Jazeem was indicted in the Puttalam High Court in November for allegedly making extremist speeches to students at the School of Excellence he taught.
However, after the Attorney General’s Department recently informed the Supreme Court that they would not object to bail for Jazeem, the Puttalam High Court yesterday ordered Ahnaf Jazeem to be released on bail. (NewsWire)