Appeal for journalists: detained, kidnapped and on the run
Colombo (AsiaNews) – A journalist was kidnapped in Sri Lanka yesterday. Meanwhile, media watchdog groups have launched a campaign for the release of a Tamil journalist detained without charge.
M. Lalith Senavirathan, ex-journalist of the Hiru, a Sinhalese-language weekly, was taken away from his home in Athurugiriya at 9.30pm. His wife said five or six people took him away without even allowing him to speak to her or take any clothes. One stopped her when she tried to intervene, telling her they were from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The woman filed a report for kidnapping at the local police station.
The police asked the CID that denied arresting the man. A few weeks ago, Rohitha Bhashana, editor of the Hiru, left the country after repeated death threats. The Free Media Movement (FMM) expressed “concern” about the lack of news and called for immediate inquiries.
Meanwhile on 31 January, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ, representing 500,000 journalists in 15 countries) and the Free Media Movement (FMM) launched an international campaign calling for the immediate release of a female journalist, Munusamy Parameshawary, who has been detained without charge by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) since 22 November. The law for the prevention of terrorism allows for prolonged detention without charge.
Parameshawary is a Tamil journalist who works for the popular Sinhalese-language weekly Mawbima. She is known for her articles about the Tamil community and for investigating disappearances from Colombo.
Sunanda Deshapriya, FMM director, told AsiaNews the woman was suspected of links with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, however no charges had been laid yet. Until recently she was denied access to lawyers. After a brief court appearance on January 23, her detention for another 30 days without trial was authorised.
Deshapriya said: “But investigations did not prove any link between her and terrorist activities. We are asking people to write to the president and prime minister of Sri Lanka to protest against her detention.”
Christopher Warren, IFJ President, criticized the government for doing nothing about a case of detention that ignored fundamental rights. He said there was the risk of “abuse” of anti-terror laws to get at and silence the media.
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24/01/2007
