SRI LANKA – J.S.Tissainayagam
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J.S. Tissainayagam was detained in March 2008 on suspicion of links to the armed opposition group Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), also known as the Tamil Tigers. (He is an ethnic Tamil). Mr. Tissainayagam is a prominent journalist in Sri Lanka, perhaps best known for his weekly column, The Telescope, in the independent English-language Sunday Times newspaper. From 2002 to mid-2007 he was the editor of a current affairs magazine that covered events in the areas of the country most affected by fighting between the government and the LTTE. In his writing, he has criticized the failure of successive governments to protect the human rights of Tamils, and has been an active defender of the human rights of all civilians affected by the fighting in Sri Lanka, regardless of their ethnicity.
He was held without charge until August 2008, when he was charged with "aiding and abetting a terrorist organization". The only evidence presented by the prosecution to support this was two articles he had written for the magazine criticizing the conduct of the security forces in the war against the LTTE, and the impact of the war on civilians. Amnesty International considers J.S. Tissainayagam a prisoner of conscience, detained for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression.
Please send letters to show your support to:
J.S. Tissainayagam
209/1A Kirula Road
Colombo 7
SRI LANKA
For more information on human rights in Sri Lanka
