Bennet Rupesinghe, one of the editors of the Colombo-based online newspaper LankaeNews, was released on bail Friday after a week in pre-trial detention for allegedly making threats, according to Paris-based press freedom group Reporters sans Frontières (RSF).
Arrested when he reported to police in the Colombo suburb of Wellampitiya on March 31, Rupesinghe was freed on payment of 310,000 rupees (2,000 euros) in bail at Colombo’s Kaduwela court. A peaceful demonstration in support of Rupesinghe was held outside the court this morning.
Another hearing has been set for July 7. In an open letter to Sri Lanka’s justice minister, RSF has urged the judicial authorities to give Rupesinghe a fair trial and to stop hounding LankaeNews and its staff.
