US, press groups condemn SL over scribe's jail sentence

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JS Tissainayagam, 45, convicted for writing two articles in the now defunct North Eastern monthly magazine in 2006 was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on August 31, by the Colombo High Court under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

CJ: Aishwariya..

Wed, Sep 02, 2009 10:00:16 IST

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Sri Lanka News :

A SRI LANKAN journalist, JS Tissainayagam, was convicted by the Colombo High Court under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Tissainayagm, who was arrested in 2008, was sentenced to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment on August 31, 2009. This is the first time in the country’s history where a journalist has been convicted under this act.

JS Tissainayagam, 45, was convicted for writing two articles in the now defunct North Eastern monthly magazine in 2006. He also contributed articles to Sunday Times as well as ran a website that focused on the Tamils living in Sri Lanka. The articles written by Tissainayagam often criticised the action taken by the Sri Lankan military against the Tamil Tigers (LTTE). The Sri Lankan government on its part has accused Tissainayagam of taking bribes from the Tamil Tigers to write propagandist articles in their favour. Tissainayagam has denied those charges during his trial.

In his articles, Tissainayagam, who has an MA in International Relations from Jawaharlal Nehru Univerity in New Delhi, accused the Sri Lankan government of withholding food supplies from areas that were heavily populated by the Tamils. In addition to accusing him of taking bribes, the government has also accused Tissainayagam of inciting violence through his articles amongst the various ethnic groups in Sri Lanka. His lawyer, Silva, however has denied that his client is a racist and that he is being convicted for simply being a journalist in the true sense of the word. This sentence is the harshest sentence ever to be given over to a Sri Lankan journalist in the recent years.

This arrest and conviction has once again sparked international debate over the rights over the freedom of speech and expression and the duty and the freedom of the fourth estate. The international community has been quick in reprimanding the Sri Lankan government and support has been pouring in for the journalist from all spectrums. The president of United States, Barack Obama released a statement condemning the imprisonment of Tissainayagam on World Press Freedom day. Obama said “In every corner of the globe, there are journalists in jail or being actively harassed … Emblematic examples of this distressing reality are figures like JS Tissainayagam in Sri Lanka…”

Tissainayagam has been labeled a “prisoner of conscience,” the Amnesty International and the organisation has called for his release. A Paris based group “Reporters without borders” have named Tissainayagam to be the first recipient of the prestigious Peter Mackler Award for “courageous and ethical reporting.” Jean Fracois Julliard, the secretary general of the Reporters without Borders said in a statement, "This country (Sri Lanka) needs journalists who are determined and concerned with finding the truth. JS Tissainayagam is one of those and should never have been imprisoned.”

The Sri Lankan government has been accused by many international bodies of suppressing the rights and the freedom of press journalists. According to Amnesty International, at least 14 media activists and journalists have been killed since 2006.

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