Kathmandu. The SAARC Journalists Forum has condemned the arrest of Sandaruwan Senadheera, editor of Lanka e News, calling it a serious threat to press freedom in South Asia.
In a statement issued on March 11, the forum said Senadheera was arrested at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake, Sri Lanka, shortly after returning to the country following 16 years in exile abroad. The organization expressed concern that detaining a senior journalist immediately upon his return could undermine the principles of free expression and create an atmosphere of fear among media professionals across the region.
The forum urged authorities in Sri Lanka to ensure Senadheera’s immediate release and guarantee a fair and transparent legal process. It also called on the government to refrain from targeting journalists for political or other motives and to ensure that the media can operate freely without intimidation. The statement, issued by Raju Lama, president of the forum’s Central Executive Committee, stressed that safeguarding press freedom is a fundamental responsibility of any democratic state.
Meanwhile, court proceedings related to Senadheera were discussed before the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, where he is facing 14 contempt of court applications linked to articles allegedly published on the Lanka e News website that were said to have defamed members of the judiciary. The court was informed that Senadheera had not appeared as he was residing in the United Kingdom and had not yet received official notices.
The case was heard before a three-judge bench comprising Justices Buwaneka Aluvihare, Sisira de Abrew, and Anil Goonaratne, who directed the petitioner to amend the case caption to include the accused’s updated address in the United Kingdom. The matter has been scheduled to be mentioned again on May 16.
The complaints were filed by Madura Vithanage, a former deputy mayor of the Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Municipal Council, who alleged that a series of articles published on the Lanka e News website and associated social media platforms ridiculed and intimidated judges from magistrates’ courts to the chief justice. The petitions claim that the content insulted and defamed members of the judiciary and amounted to contempt of court under Article 105(3) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
The petitioner has requested the court to restrain Senadheera from publishing further statements or articles allegedly scandalising judges or judicial institutions, including the Supreme Court and the Judicial Service Commission, until the conclusion of the case.
During the hearing, Hemantha Warnakulasuriya appeared for the petitioner, while Sanjay Rajaratnam represented the attorney general. J. C. Weliamuna appeared for the second accused, attorney-at-law Chandrasiri Seneviratne, who was present in court.
