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Sri Lankan police detain and beat Sinhala journalist

01 August 2023

Sinhala journalist Tharindu Uduwaragedara was detained and arrested whilst covering a union-led protest in Colombo last Friday.

The reaction has been swift with the International Federation of Journalists; the Federation of Media Employees Trade Union (FMETU), the Free Media Movement (FMM), and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SWLJA) condemning the arrest.

Uduwaragedara was recording a trade union protest a proposed International Monetary Fund agreement when he was dragged out of his vehicle and struck by Sri Lankan police officers. The officers brought him to Colombo’s Borella Police Station. During his journey, he sustained a head injury and police refused him medical during his detention. He was held without charges and has since been granted bail on the orders of the Magistrate’s Court in Hulftsdorp after over 24 hours in custody.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has launched an investigation into the incident, which will probe allegations of police brutality through Uduwaragedara’s arrest and detention.

Read more here.

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