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Jail term for S Lanka journalist Jail term for Sri Lankan editor
(about 1 hour later)
A Sri Lankan court has sentenced a prominent Tamil journalist to 20 years in prison after convicting him under anti-terrorism laws. The high court in Sri Lanka has sentenced a prominent Tamil journalist to 20 years in prison after convicting him under anti-terrorism laws.
High Court Judge Deepali Wijesundara found JS Tissainayagam guilty of "causing communal disharmony". JS Tissainayagam was found guilty of "causing communal disharmony".
Mr Tissainayagam was arrested in 2008 and charged with inciting violence in articles in his magazine, the North Eastern Monthly, which is now closed.Mr Tissainayagam was arrested in 2008 and charged with inciting violence in articles in his magazine, the North Eastern Monthly, which is now closed.
He was also accused of receiving funds from the Tamil Tigers rebels. He was also accused of receiving funds from the Tamil Tigers rebels. He denied supporting violence.
Mr Tissainayagam's lawyer says he will appeal.
'Widespread attention'
Mr Tissainayagam was found guilty of causing "racial hatred" and "supporting terrorism", a court official said.Mr Tissainayagam was found guilty of causing "racial hatred" and "supporting terrorism", a court official said.
The court found that he had received money from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to fund his website, the official said.The court found that he had received money from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to fund his website, the official said.
Mr Tissainayagam's case has received widespread attention in Sri Lanka. International rights group have been campaigning for his release - they say Sri Lanka is using anti-terror laws to silence peaceful critics. The BBC's Charles Haviland in Colombo says Mr Tissainayagam insists he does not believe in violence.
Mr Tissainayagam was held for more than five months before he was charged with publishing and distributing a magazine, alleged to have brought the government into disrepute. The Tamil journalist was held for more than five months before he was charged with furthering terrorism by collecting funds for a magazine he published, and of inciting ethnically-based violence in two of its articles.
Campaign groups say Sri Lanka is fast becoming one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists. One of the pieces accused the government of shelling an eastern town and trying to drive out its population in the war which was going on at the time, our correspondent adds.
The case has received widespread attention in Sri Lanka. International rights group have been campaigning for his release - they say Sri Lanka is using anti-terror laws to silence peaceful critics.
Campaign groups say the country is fast becoming one of the most dangerous places in the world for journalists.
Our correspondent says since the government's military victory over the Tamil Tigers in May, it has regularly denounced its critics.
Last week it described an exiled group, Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, as a "front" for the Tigers after it circulated a video which it said showed army soldiers killing unarmed Tamils.
The authorities said the video was fabricated.