Tissainayagam was one of the journalists singled out for praise by President Obama this past May in his statement in honor of World Press Freedom Day.
Organizations working in defense of press freedom reacted strongly to today’s sentence. The International Federation of Journalists condemned the sentence, calling it “brutal and inhumane.” The Committee to Protect Journalists announced today that it will honor Tissainayagam with a 2009 International Press Freedom Award. The group Reporters Without Borders said it was “appalled” by the “shameful” sentence; the group also announced today that Tissainayagam had been selected as the first winner of the newly created Peter Mackler Award for Courageous and Ethical Journalism.
Please write to Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa and ask that J.S. Tissainayagam be released immediately and unconditionally. Thanks for any help you can give.