Journalist Tharindu files FR to prevent arrest

By Lakmal Sooriyagoda 

Sri Lanka Young Journalists’ Association former President Tharindu Uduwaragedara has filed a Fundamental Rights petition in Supreme Court seeking an order preventing CID from arresting him over an investigation relating to uploading videos to a YouTube Channel.   

The petitioner, a Director of the Satahan Radio YouTube Channel filed this petition through Attorney-at-law Manjula Balasooriya naming IGP Chandana Wickremaratne, DIG in charge of the CID Prasad Ranasinghe, Air Force Commander Sudarshana Pathirana and several others as respondents.   

The petitioner states that on June 22, 2022, the petitioner’s mother received a Police message from the Ettampitiya Police requiring him to be present at the CID on June 28 to record a statement with regard to an investigation.   
The CID had informed the petitioner that he was being summoned for an inquiry based on the information given by the Sri Lanka Air Force Intelligence against him with regard to the YouTube channel (Satahan) Radio administered by the Petitioner and posts on the said channel. The petitioner said he has been a prominent and pioneer member of the protest movement that has based itself at Galle Face Green.   

The Petitioner states that he verily believes that one of the real objectives is to intimidate and silence him and to send a signal to other journalists and human rights activists and to have a chilling effect on the Petitioner and other journalists and human rights activists.   He further alleged that the so-called investigation also seeks to gain access to the Petitioner’s mobile phone and laptop and subject them to examination and thereby scrutinise and monitor the Petitioner’s sources of information.   The petitioner maintained that there is no legal basis for the commencement or continuation of any investigation against him.   

• The petitioner said he has been a prominent and pioneer member of the protest movement that has based itself at Galle Face Green