Detained journalist files FR application

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 January 2007, 17:32 GMT]
Journalist Mounasamy Parameswary working in a Mawbima, Sinhala weekly newspaper Friday filed a Fundamental Rights application in the Supreme Court against her arrest and detention under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). She in her petition said that her arrest is illegal and violating her fundamental rights.

She has begged court to order her release from detention. Her fundamental rights application has been filed through her counsel Gowrishankary Thavarasa.

Meanwhile, the Free Media Movement (FMM) has announced that it has decided to launch a national and international campaign from 31 January, demanding the release of this journalist.

The Police arrested Parameswary on 22 November, 2006 in Wellawatte in Colombo.

The Colombo magistrate court served sixty day-detention order on her under the PTA on an application made by the police. The detention order was extended for another 90 days when she was produced in Colombo magistrate court on Thursday.

In the meantime, the FMM has issued a statement that representatives of media organizations were not allowed to visit her in remand during the first 60-day detention period.

The Police made an application to extend the detention order on her even after no evidence have been found against her, the statement said.

Chronology: