Facebook icon
Twitter icon
e-mail icon

Mahinda doesn't remember telephone call about journalist abduction

Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa has said he told the CID he doesn’t remember having a telephone conversation with current parliamentary speaker Karu Jayasuriya about the abduction of journalist Keith Noyahr.

Karu Jayasuriya told police he telephoned the then president in 2008 to ask for help after Noyahr was abducted.

"I don't remember such a telephone conversation," the former president told reporters after he was questioned at home.

The former president said the CID investigation was an attempt to smear his government and was part of a political witch hunt.

See more from News Asia.

We need your support

Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.

Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view

We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.

For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.