Her Excellency Chitranganee Wagiswara
High Commissioner for the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to Canada
333 Laurier Avenue West, Suite 1204
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 1C1

May 4, 2010

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 welcomes the May 3 news that the President Mahinda Rajapaksa has pardoned journalist Jeyaprakash Tissainayagam, editor of the North Eastern Monthly magazine.

Tissainayagam, also known as 'Tissa' was arrested by the Terrorism Investigation Division of the Sri Lanka Police on March 7, 2008, and indicted five months later under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. On August 31, 2009, he was convicted and sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment and hard labour on the charges of raising money for terrorism and causing racial hatred. Tissainayagam appealed his conviction and in January was freed on bail, pending a full appeal hearing.

Tissainayagam is recognized internationally for writing about the effect of the decades-long separatist conflict in Sri Lanka on the ethnic Tamil minority and has denied the charges against him.

CJFE welcomes news of the pardon and hopes that this is a sign of greater freedom for all journalists working in Sri Lanka. However, we urge the Sri Lankan Government to give a detailed explanation of the terms of Tissainayagam's release including whether he has freedom of movement including the right to leave the country. We are concerned about his safety while in Sri Lanka, as unpunished violence against journalists remains disturbingly high.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. We look forward to your reply.

Yours sincerely,

Arnold Amber, President

Cc: Angela Bogdan, Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka;
The Honourable Lawrence Cannon, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs