The Free Media Movement (FMM) has strongly condemned what it described as police harassment of journalist Sulochana Ramaiya Mohan, who was temporarily taken into police custody while carrying out her duties.
In a statement issued today, the FMM said the deputy editor of the Ceylon Today newspaper had visited the Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle to meet Iranian sailors currently receiving treatment there.
According to the journalist, while she was gathering information from the sailors with the assistance of a translator from the Iranian Embassy, a group claiming to be police officers intervened and obstructed her work. She alleged that the group forcibly snatched her notebooks while she was performing her professional duties.
Ramaiya Mohan further stated that during the incident, a police officer and a security official had verbally abused her using obscene language.
She said she later informed the Inspector General of Police by telephone and subsequently attempted to lodge a complaint with the Galle Police regarding the incident.
However, when the Free Media Movement inquired with the Galle Police about the complaint, police reportedly stated that no such complaint had been received. The journalist has also claimed that she was not provided with a complaint reference number.
The Free Media Movement said the incident amounts to unnecessary police interference that obstructs the media’s right to carry out professional duties freely.
Condemning the incident, the organisation called on the Inspector General of Police to immediately investigate the matter and take appropriate action. (Newswire)
