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Alert

Journalist's detention extended for another 90 days

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is an FMM press release:

Female journalist Mawnasamy Parameshwaree detained for another 90 days

The Free Media Movement (FMM) is deeply concerned and vigorously condemns the continuous custody of Mawnasamy Parameshwaree, a 23-year-old female freelance journalist working for the weekly Sinhala newspaper "Mawbima" ( http://www.mawbima.org ), who has been in police custody for 60 days without any charges being brought against her. After she appeared in court on 23 January 2007, the Terrorist Investigation Division (TID) obtained a 90-day extension to her detention order.

Belonging to the Up-Country Tamil community in Sri Lanka, Parameshwaree reports on issues related to the Tamil community and disappearances in Colombo. So far, around 50 Tamil persons have disappeared in Colombo and dozens more have been killed. She is single and resided in a rented room in Dehiwala, south of Colombo. Her parents live more than 100 km away from Colombo, in Gampola.

She was arrested on 21 November 2006 and has been held, without charges being brought against her, at the TID office in Colombo ever since. No investigating officer has questioned her for a number of weeks, although the TID asked again, during her court appearance, that the investigations into her case be completed.

Lawyers representing her have been allowed to visit her in detention for the first time, and moves are underway to file a fundamental rights petition to the Supreme Court asking for her immediate release and compensation.

FMM notes with regret that some Colombo-based Sinhala newspapers published inflammatory lead stories after Parameshwaree was arrested, stating that a large number of explosives were recovered after questioning her and another woman arrested at the same time. All those stories proved completely false, and had been implanted into the media by interested parties as a justification to keep her imprisoned indefinitely.

FMM also notes that, at a time when the media in Sri Lanka is under severe pressure to conform to the edicts of those opposed to free media and freedom of expression, the continued detention of Parameshwaree is deeply disturbing and is an example of the flagrant violation of fundamental rights in an increasingly militaristic state.

Given that no charges have been made against Parameshwaree and that investigations conducted to date have failed to establish any links between her and terrorist activity of any kind, FMM strongly urges the government to intervene to facilitate her immediate release and ensure adequate redress.

FMM underscores the importance of human rights and media freedom in a democracy, and appeals to the media and all other democratic stakeholders to pressure the government to strengthen both at a time when they are in danger of disappearing altogether in Sri Lanka.