Human rights defender and journalist, Mr J. S. Tissanayagam, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison, on 30 August 2009, for "causing communal disharmony," inciting "racial hatred" and "supporting terrorism" under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). J.S. Tissanayagam is a freelance journalist for The Sunday Times and The Daily Mirror as well as chief editor of Outreach Multimedia.

Outreach Media is an online magazine established in January 2008 to highlight human rights issues in Sri Lanka. Front Line previously raised cases concerning J.S. Tissanayagam on 11 March 2008, following his arrest and detention by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) along with five other journalists, and on 21 November 2008, when he was transferred to Magazine Prison, where he was held in a room with 140 convicted criminals.

On 30 August 2009, J.S. Tissanayagam was found guilty by Colombo High Court Judge Deepali Wijesundera and sentenced to the minimum sentence of 20 years hard labour under the PTA. A main component of the PTA is its proscription of ethnically divisive language, and one of the articles written by J.S. Tissanayagam accused the government of shelling an eastern town and trying to drive out its population in the war which was going on at the time.

On 7 March 2008, J.S. Tissanayagam was arrested when he went to investigate the detention of his colleagues, V. Jesikaran and Vadivel Valarmathi, by the TID. On 25 August 2008 he was charged with three counts, including committing an offence by printing, publishing and distributing the magazine ´North Eastern Monthly' during the period 1 June 2006 to 1 June 2007 thereby committing an offence punishable under the PTA. He was also charged under the Emergency Regulations Act for making payments or collecting funds from Non-Governmental Organisations to run the aforementioned magazine. J.S. Tissanayagam plans to appeal the sentence.

Front Line believes that the sentencing of J.S. Tissnayagam is directly related to his activities in defence of human rights in Sri Lanka. Front Line is deeply concerned that the Prevention of Terrorism Act is being used to silence any criticism of the Sri Lankan government. At least eight journalists have been killed in Sri Lanka since 2007, and many more have fled the country. Front Line is deeply concerned at the impact of such killings and convictions on the security of human rights defenders and the integrity of freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.

Reports without Borders has today announced that J.S. Tissanayagam has been awarded a prestigious international human rights prize. Reporters without Borders

Simultaneously the Committee for the Protection of Journalists (CPJ) announced that Mr Tissanayagam would be honoured with the 2009 International Press Freedom Award.

International Press Freedom Award