Sri Lanka Arrests News Website Editor
By VOA
Police in Sri Lanka have arrested the editor of an online news website critical of the government, saying he allegedly threatened another man.
The media rights group Reporters Without Borders said police arrested Bennett Rupasinghe Thursday when he appeared at the police station in Wellampitiya to make a statement.
The group says officials denied the 68-year-old man bail and are now holding the diabetes sufferer in the infirmary of Colombo prison.
Authorities accuse Rupasinghe of threatening the brother of a suspect in an arson attack on LankaeNews.com’s office earlier this year.
Media rights groups say Rupasinghe was arrested on questionable grounds. They accuse the government of trying to silence critical media.
Rupasinghe’s employer has been the target of numerous threats and attacks in recent years.
A columnist for the website is still missing more than a year after he disappeared. Rupasinghe also said he thought there was “a government hand” in the arson attack earlier this year.
