Front Line Defenders said they were "deeply concerned" after Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (CID) issued a summons to Sinhala journalist following a complaint made by the Intelligence Division of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF).

Uduwaragedara was served a notice on June 22 demanding that he appears at the CID in Colombo for an inquiry on June 28. The Sri Lankan journalist and media rights campaigner was repportedly not given clear reasons for the summons except that it relates to the content of his YouTube channel and that a complaint had been made against him by the Intelligence Division of the SLAF.

Uduwaragedara has been using his YouTube channel as "a tool to voice the messages of those (mostly youth) who are protesting against scarce resources, governmental corruption and mismanagement" since anti-government protests broke out in March. Uduwaragedara has faced harassment whilst covering the 'Gota Go Gama' protest where demonstrators have been camped out on Galle Face Green. 

In their statement, Front Line Defenders highlighted that "uniformed officers and unidentified individuals suspected to be intelligence officers" have routinely visited the Media Center tent, which Uduwaragerada set up to support journalists at the protest site. 

"The recent summons issued to Tharindu Uduwaragedara is part of a pattern of persecution against those raising their voice against the current regime," the organisation said. 

"All citizens and especially journalists and human rights defenders must be safe from reprisals when carrying out peaceful protests and expressing legitimate dissent against Government policies," they added. 

Earlier today, journalists and activists held a protest in front of the United Nations office in Colombo to condemn the summoning of Uduwaragerada. 

Photograph courtesy of JDS

The Free Media Movement also condemned the summons and stated that the CID was being used to "crack down on media activists and free-thinking activists." The organisation also noted that "several" journalists and social media activists who have been reporting on and participating in the anti-government protests have been summoned to the CID. 

Efforts to silence journalists and suppress their work have intensified since Gotabaya Rajapaksa took office as Sri Lanka's president. Sri Lanka has dropped 19 places in Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index and is now ranked 146th in the world. 

Earlier this year, UN High Commissioner Michelle Bachelet expressed her concerns over the survillance and intimidation faced by victim survivors, activists and civil society organisations, particularly in the North-East.

Read Front Line Defender's full statement here.