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Sri Lanka: "Shameful" imprisonment

Sri Lanka continues to snub its nose at the world as it continues its oppressive actions against its Tamil population - with some 300,000 people still kept in camps behind bared-wire - and action, generally, which defies the rule of law and democratic principles. To even criticise the regime is to bring forth the whole apparatus of the State.

This self-explanatory report from Reporters Without Borders details the utterly, utterly disgraceful conduct of the government against a Sri Lankan reporter:

"Reporters Without Borders is appalled by the “shameful” 20-year jail sentence which a Colombo high court passed today on journalist J.S. Tissainayagam on charges of supporting terrorism and inciting racial hatred in his articles.

“The imposition of this extremely severe sentence on Tissainayagam suggests that some Sri Lanka judges confuse justice with revenge,” Reporters Without Borders said. “With the help of confessions extracted by force and information that was false or distorted, the court has used an anti-terrorism law that was intended for terrorists, not for journalists and human rights activists.”

The press freedom organisation added: “We strongly hope that the appeal process adheres to the facts of the case and the spirit of the law. Meanwhile, until the appeal is heard, we urge the authorities to guarantee this journalist’s physical safety and health, which has deteriorated greatly while in detention.”

Global Media Forum and Reporters Without Borders have chosen to announce today that Tissainayagam will be the first winner of the Peter Mackler Prize, a newly-created award for journalists who display great courage and professional integrity in countries where press freedom is not respected."

The Independent also has a piece "Sri Lanka jails journalist who criticised war policy" dealing with the imprisonment of the journalist, and notes that this is the very same journalist years for who was hailed by President Obama as a hero facing persecution.

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