
Front Line is deeply concerned by reports of the transfer of human rights defender J.S. Tissanayagam to Magazine Prison in Colombo, on 18 November 2008. J.S. Tissanayagam is a freelance journalist for The Sunday Times and The Daily Mirror as well as chief editor of Outreach Multimedia, an online magazine established in January 2008 to highlight human rights issues in Sri Lanka. Front Line issued an Urgent Appeal concerning the case of J.S. Tissanayagam on 11 March 2008, following his arrest and detention by the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) along with five other journalists. Following his arrest, J.S. Tissanayagam was detained without charge for more than 150 days before he was charged on 25 August with three counts under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). His case is currently being heard by the High Court in Colombo. 