Sri Lanka, Nov. 3 -- The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) issued a landmark ruling recently on the release of two books by the prominent Tamil writer B. Pradeepan-also known as Theepachelvan-which had been detained by the Customs for months. The commission stated that the detention of the books was a direct violation of the Tamil author's Fundamental Rights. In the following conversation, Theepachelvan, a novelist and poet living in Kilinochchi, reflects on the grievances of Tamil-speaking writers against the backdrop of what he calls State Oppression and the marginalization of ethnic minorities.

QThe Human Rights Commission (HRC) recently recommended releasing your books detained by the Customs, yet they are still being he...