Media associations in Sri Lanka contemplate appealing to President Mahainda Rajapaksa to pardon J.S. Tissanayagam who has been sentenced to 20 years RI under Prevention of Terror Act. The President, under powers vested in him, can pardon a prisoner.
The media associations led by the Free Media Movement met in Colombo today (Sept 01st) and decided to invite all the media heads and lawyers to discuss further on the judgment and to formulate future course of action in this regard.
Sunil Jayasekara, secretary to the Free Media Movement said that Government should not use PTA against journalists who give their opinion. Freedom of expression is a fundamental right guaranteed by the constitution of our country. “Now the war is over, the country is in the process of rebuilding the nation after a long conflict. This is a time that we should endeavor to build confidence among the communities. This kind of judgment, unfortunately, will not create a conducive environment for that effort” he further said Thissanayagam is the first person who was sentenced to RI under the Prevention of Terror Act .
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