Journalists for Democracy in SriLanka to launch protests worldwide for the release of Shakthika

Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) has launched a worldwide protest campaign for the release of award winning writer Shakthika Sathkumara who has been in custody for almost three months over a short story he wrote.

Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) was instrumental in bringing Sathkumara's arbitrary arrest and detention to PEN international's attention, who launched this first ever global appeal to secure the freedom of a Sinhala writer. London based PEN International, to which writers of around 100 countries are members, believes that Shakthika Sathkumara is being held solely for the peaceful exercise of his right to freedom of expression and calls for his immediate and unconditional release.

Sathkumara has been charged with inciting religious hatred and violating international human rights law under Section 3(1) of Sri Lanka’s International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act No. 56 of 2007 (ICCPR Act 2007) and Article 291B of the Penal Code.

He was arrested on April 01st by the Polgahawela Police in connection with ‘Ardha’ (‘Half’), a short story published on Facebook, following a complaint made by the Director of the Buddhist Information Centre Angulugaha Jinanda Thera under the ICCPR Act, that his work of fiction was derogatory and defamatory to Buddhism and urging the IGP to take him into custody.

The protest held in Colombo this week condemned the action taken by the government to arrest a writer for his work when extremists including Buddhist monks and politicians who incite racial discord are roaming free.

International Pen points out that Shakthika had exercised his right to expression and demanded the Sri Lankan Government to ensure his unconditional release.