New York, January 11, 2010
— The Committee to Protect Journalists welcomes the release on bail of Sri
Lankan journalist J.S.
Tissainayagam on Monday in Colombo,
but calls on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to use his constitutional power to
extend a full pardon and erase the 20 year sentence of “rigorous imprisonment”
that was handed down in August.
On November 24, CPJ honored Tissainayagam with one of its
annual International
Press Freedom Awards, recognizing his courageous journalism in a country where
the media is under siege.
"This
is good news and long overdue,” said Gwen Ifill, a CPJ board member who recognized
Tissainayagam at CPJ’s award ceremony in November. “We will continue to stand
by him throughout his legal process.”
Tissainayagam
was ordered released on 50,000 rupees (about $440) by Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal on
Monday. The Tamil editor was jailed in March 2008, and was eventually indicted
under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in August 2008. When releasing him on
bail on Monday, the court also ordered him to surrender his passport.
“This
is a step forward in the exoneration of this brave journalist, whose case has
caught the attention of the world,” said Bob Dietz, CPJ’s Asia
program coordinator. “But President Rajapaksa has it within his constitutional
power to fully exonerate him and return to Tissainayagam his full rights as a
Sri Lankan citizen.”
Twitter
Facebook
Email Lists
Donate
Print
Share
Delicious
Digg
Google
Reddit
StumbleUpon
