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Tamil journalist grilled by TID 

15 Jul 2021

  • Reports claim access sought to personal/financial details 
BY Dinitha Rathnayake  Media organisations raised concerns over the questioning of freelance Tamil journalist and Batticaloa District Tamil Journalists’ Association Secretary Selvakumar Nilanthan by the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID) over his work. Batticaloa-based journalist Nilanthan was summoned to the Batticaloa TID where his statement was taken. According to news reports, he was queried as to whether he had any links to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and was questioned extensively about his work. It was claimed that the journalist had also been asked to disclose his personal and financial details. He had been questioned a lot about his accounts and passwords, and had been told to give full access to his Facebook account, WhatsApp account, email account, bank account, and other personal details. However, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said that the Sri Lankan authorities should stop harassing Nilanthan and halt any further efforts to interrogate him. CPJ Asia Programme Co-ordinator Steven Butler said: “The interrogation of Nilanthan – including demands for access to his social media and bank accounts – adds to the pattern of the harassment of Tamil members of the press, which needs to stop immediately.” Nilanthan frequently covers human rights-related issues in local news outlets, according to the CPJ’s review of print articles. The Asia Desk of the CPJ also noted that the TID should allow him to report freely. Meanwhile, the International Press Institute (IPI), a global network of editors, journalists, and media executives defending press freedom, also raised concerns about the TID interrogation. The Media Organisations Collective also sent a letter to Inspector General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickramaratne in regard to the matter, and highlighted that in any investigation, it is not legal to request for personal information. The Collective further urged the IGP to provide a necessary environment for journalists to report on their stories freely.


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