Journalist arrested by TID seeks protection from President

Sethuparan, an independent journalist who had migrated to Norway twenty years ago, had visited Sri Lanka with his family and close relatives from Norway to celebrate his daughter’s coming of age in 2019. However, the celebrations had to be abruptly cancelled when he was arrested by the Police in Nelliyadi on fabricated complaints.

"My family members had to return leaving me behind and it was a traumatic situation for our entire family. I was released as it was totally a fabricated complaint," he said in his letter.

Continued harassment!

Sethuparan said he was wanted by the police for another case for which he was given an arrest warrant which had imposed a travel ban. 

"This too was a fabricated case and I had to go into hiding due to the obvious threat for life.  As a reputed journalist carrying Norwegian citizenship, I sought legal advice and filed a case in the appeal court. The Court of Appeal overruled the Magistrate Court's decision and allowed me to obtain my passport from the Colombo passport office and return to Oslo as my passport was lying in the Immigration to get visa extension," he stated.

Sethurupan returned to Norway but returned to Sri Lanka to finish the court proceedings based on the fabricated allegations. However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, he could not return back to Norway.

Due to the nature of these complaints, Sethuparan was forced to move from one place to another covertly until his travel arrangements were finalised as it became apparent to him that his life was under threat.

During this period, he was unexpectedly summoned by the Police in Kankesanthurai for an enquiry and had given a statement.

"With all these harassment from unknown parties, I wanted to leave as early as possible to start my work in Norway," he said.

He had managed to book a flight to depart Sri Lanka on 21 June but was detained by the Immigration authorities at Bandaranaike International Airport by citing a court order. He was then summoned to the TID unit at Jaffna Police headquarters for an investigation thereafter.

"I have not committed any crime in Sri Lanka or elsewhere and I am shocked to see the way I am targeted by unknown elements," Sethuparan noted.

He also observed that various elements connected to the underworld are targeting him and that these trumped up charges against him have brought his family 'tremendous trauma'.

In his letter, he requested President Rajapaksa to provide him with adequate protection during his stay in Sri Lanka and to transfer any inquiry to the TID office in Colombo as he feared to travel to the North where he could be threatened by unknown parties.

He also appealed to the President to expedite the police investigations and to hold an inquiry on the nature of complaints against him to prove his innocence from such fabricated charges.  

Noting the need to return to his family as these incidents had caused traumatic conditions for his children as well as his parents living in the North, Sethuparan appealed to the President to safeguard his return back to Norway.