Description

During this quarter of the year, No 56 of 2007 ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act was heavily misused by the authorities to suppress freedom of expression and freedom of speech.
Free Media movement condemned this trend in the statement they issued in relevance to the imminent arrest of journalist Kusal Perera. Also the arrest and prolonged detention of Shakthika Sathkumara was a bad precedent. Further Colombo Telegraph reported that lawsuit against Dilith Jayaweera - owner of Power House Media Company was done under this act.
In another incident a woman named Abdul Raheem Masaheena from Kandy district was arbitrarily arrested and detained for several months under the charges of insulting Buddhism for wearing a garment contained the symbol of ship wheel which resonated the Dhamma Chakra – the Buddhist holy sign. She has filed a fundamental Rights Petition on this.