A Sri Lanka court sentenced a Tamil reporter, cited by US President Barack Obama as an "emblematic example" of a persecuted journalist, to 20 years in prison Monday on charges of supporting terrorism. J.S. Tissainayagam, 45, who contributed to the local Sunday Times and ran a website, Outreachsl.com, that focused on the island's minority Tamils, was found guilty on three counts under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
A court official said the charges included receiving money from the rebel Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to fund his website and causing racial hatred through his writings about Tamils affected by the conflict.
Obama mentioned Tissainayagam in his May 1 World Press Freedom day statement describing him as an "emblematic example" of a journalist who was being persecuted for doing his work. Sri Lanka said Obama had been misinformed. A large number of journalists and media rights activists were in court when the surprise judgement was delivered after a nearly year-long trial. Rights activist and lawyer Nimalka Fernando said the High Court ruling was a direct assault on freedom of expression in Sri Lanka and slammed the judicial system for stifling the media.
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