Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Sri Lankan President Pardons Convicted Tamil Journalist

   J.S. Tissainayagam, pardoned on World Press Freedom Day, was sentenced
   to 20 years

   VOA News 03 May 2010
   In  this  photo  taken  Aug.  31,  2009,  an  ethnic  Tamil journalist
   Jeyaprakash Tissainayagam, center, is escorted by Sri Lankan policemen
   after his release, in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Photo: AP

   In  this  photo  taken  Aug.  31,  2009,  an  ethnic  Tamil journalist
   Jeyaprakash Tissainayagam, center, is escorted by Sri Lankan policemen
   after  his  release,  in  Colombo,  Sri  Lanka.  Sri Lanka's President
   Mahinda  Rajapaksa  ordered  the  release  Monday,  May 3, 2010 of the
   journalist sentenced to 20 years in prison on terrorism charges.

   Sri  Lankan  President  Mahinda  Rajapaksa  pardoned a convicted Tamil
   journalist Monday to mark World Press Freedom Day.
   The  reporter,  J.S.  Tissainayagam, was sentenced to 20 years of hard
   labor  last  year  after writing articles critical of the government's
   war against the Tamil rebels.
   The media rights group Reporters Without Borders says press freedom is
   under  attack  across  the  globe. The group issued its annual list of
   Predators  of  Press  Freedom  Monday,  naming  40 state and religious
   leaders, militias and criminal organization as enemies of the press.
   The  Philippines' private militias landed at the top of the list after
   allies of a politician in Maguindanao province were accused of killing
   around 50 people, including 30 journalists.
   Military-run  Burma  also  made  the  list  of  press  predators.  The
   Paris-based  group  says military leader General Than Shwe has refused
   to loosen his grip on the media and the Internet.
   Taliban  leader  Mullah  Omar  joined  the  list  this year because of
   targeted  attacks  on  the  press.  The  media  rights  group says the
   militant  influential  in Pakistan and Afghanistan has waged around 40
   attacks  on  journalists  and  the  media  since  2009 in an effort to
   control the media.

   Some information for this report was provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.

.