An Australian activist was detained during a raid by immigration authorities on a meeting of journalists on Wednesday.
Jacqui Park, the Asia-Pacific representative for the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), was accused of working without a visa.
"She was meeting with us at a hotel in Colombo while on holiday," said the Free Media Movement’s spokesperson Sunil Jayasekera to AFP.
"She was not engaging in any work as such, but was meeting with friends she had made over the years."
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.
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