Mujibur accuses Govt. of media suppression over journalist arrest

• Says arrest was inhumane and  forewarning of Govt. attempts to suppress media
• Accuses Govt. of attempting to suppress  freedom of dissent and expression 
• Asks opposition to come together to launch an anti-Govt. struggle 

Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) Deputy General Secretary Mujibur Rahman accused the Government of suppressing the media following the arrest of a journalist at a protest held in Colombo yesterday. 

The police arrested journalist and activist Tharindu Uduwaragedara over charges of being a member of an illegal assembly and criminal coercion of a Government official during a protest held by the Joint Development Officers’ Union and other trade unions in the Borella Sahaspura area yesterday. 

Rahman called the arrest “inhumane” and said it was a forewarning of the Government’s attempts to suppress and silence journalists and media in the country. 

Rahman condemned. “The fundamental rights of the people, including the right to dissent and freedom of expression, are currently facing serious threats as the Government takes measures to forcefully suppress them. A clear example of this was witnessed during the arrest of Uduwaragedara,” he said.  The SJB Deputy General Secretary called on all parties in the opposition both inside and outside parliament to come together to voice their dissent against the anti-democratic actions of the Government. “It is time we commence a struggle against this anti-democratic Government that seeks to suppress the media and the freedom of expression,” he said.  Rahman also claimed Uduwaragedara was targeted by the police and hunted down. 

“Many journalists have now become targets of the Government,” he alleged.