A Sri Lankan news editor arrested on his return from a 16-year exile has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department.
Sandaruwan Senadheera, editor of the ‘Lanka e News’ website, was detained at Bandaranaike International Airport yesterday (11) by Katunayake Police.
His arrest is believed to be linked to a court order issued in 2016.
Senadheera had left Sri Lanka during the Rajapaksa administration following threats to his life as well as threats connected to the enforced disappearance of his colleague Prageeth Eknaligoda and an arson attack that gutted the Lanka e News offices.
He is scheduled to be produced before court today (12).
Safety concerns raised
The Free Media Movement has urged the government to guarantee Senadheera’s wellbeing while he remains in custody, noting that his history of facing death threats makes his protection a matter of urgent concern.
“The Free Media Movement believes that his life and personal safety must be ensured even while he is in police custody,” the organisation said in a statement signed by Convener Lasantha de Silva and Secretary Dilisha Abeysundara.
The FMM also called for a fair and transparent legal process, adding that the precise grounds for his arrest had yet to be clarified.