Government Misusing Emergency Regulations The Sri Lankan government should release a prominent journalist and two others connected to a website critical of the government, Human Rights Watch said today. The three have been held without charge since March under emergency regulations.

On March 7, 2008, the police Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) arrested J.S. Tissainayagam, a columnist with the Sunday Times newspaper and editor of the Outreach website. The previous day the TID had arrested N. Jasiharan, the owner of E-Kwality press, and his wife V. Valamathy. Tissainayagam and Jasiharan are co-directors of the company Outreach Multimedia; Valamathy has no official role with the company. In a court appearance on June 23, Jasiharan stated that TID officers had assaulted him.

“The three have spent more than 150 days in custody, yet no charges have been filed and no evidence of any crime has been produced. If the authorities have no credible basis to charge Tissainayagam and the two others, they should be immediately released.” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch.

Link to HRW