The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry reported that Kuwait released 24 Sri Lankans, including renowned artists, yesterday, following their detention last Friday, as reported by Al-Seyassah daily. The ministry confirmed that this release was made possible due to the intervention of the Sri Lankan Embassy in Kuwait.

The group, which included famous artists such as Indrachapa Liyanage, Samanali Fonseka, Julie Siya, and Upika Nirmani, had been arrested while attending an event organized by the JVP-affiliated organization Ethera Api. The reason for their arrest was the failure to obtain necessary permission for the event. The artists were detained along with the event organizers, and the band’s musical instruments were seized. Following the intervention of Sri Lankan embassy officials, 24 of those detained were released, but two members of the organizing committee remain in police custody.