His Excellency, W.J.S. Karunaratne, High Commissioner
High Commission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to Canada
333 Laurier Avenue
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1C1

September 11, 2008

Dear High Commissioner,

I am writing on behalf of Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE), a non-profit, non-governmental organization that works to promote and protect press freedom and freedom of expression around the world.

CJFE is extremely concerned by the recent decision of the High Court of Sri Lanka, which formally indicted Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainayagam under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) (1979). Tissainayagam was indicted after being held for more that five months without charge. In the almost 30 years since the PTA was adopted as a "temporary" measure, no individual journalist or media entity has been charged under the PTA.

Tissainayagam, a senior Tamil journalist and columnist for The Sunday Times, was arrested on March 7, 2008, by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID). Last month, he was charged with promoting terrorism through the magazine Northeastern Monthly, which he briefly published in 2006. The magazine criticized the government's role in Sri Lanka's civil war. Tissainayagam will go to trial on September 18, 2008.

CJFE is profoundly concerned by the state of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in Sri Lanka. Since 2006, more than a dozen journalists and media workers have been murdered, and in not one case has a perpetrator been brought to justice. Just this week, journalist Radhika Devakumar was shot three times in her home in Batticaloa, eastern Sri Lanka, by unidentified gunmen.

CJFE asks you to convey our concerns to the government of the Democratic Socialist Republic Sri Lanka to ensure that the free expression rights of its people are respected. We call for the immediate release of journalist J.S. Tissainayagam and withdrawal of all charges against him.

We thank you for your attention and look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Arnold Amber, President

CC: Mrs. Angela J. Bogdan, Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka
The Honourable David Emerson, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs