• He was arrested under the PTA for promoting extremism 

The Fundamental Rights petition filed on behalf of 25-year-old poet Ahnaf Jazeem challenging his arrest and detention was yesterday fixed for support by the Supreme Court. 

The Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) had arrested Ahnaf Jazeem under Prevention of Terrorism Act over an allegation that he had promoted extremism and violence in children and aided and abetted Muslim extremism through his literary work. 

When this Fundamental Rights petition came up before Supreme Court three-judge-bench headed by Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya, the court was informed that notices for the urgent hearing have not been served of the respondents. Accordingly, Supreme Court fixed the matter for support on July 6. 

The petition has also sought an interim order to release Ahnaf Jazeem from detention. 

The Poet Ahnaf Jazeem was arrested on May 16, 2021 at his home in Chilavathurai. 

Ahnaf Jazeem has been a writer of poems and short stories since his school times, has presented his poems to poetry competitions and has been awarded.   The petitioner stated that the Poet, Ahnaf Jazeem did not, by way of his artistic writings, support or incite violence or promoted extremism, racism within sections of the Muslim community, but on the contrary, exactly opposed the same.