{"id":228638,"date":"2022-08-12T12:14:11","date_gmt":"2022-08-12T06:44:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=228638"},"modified":"2022-08-13T23:30:22","modified_gmt":"2022-08-13T18:00:22","slug":"cid-waits-till-the-rti-act-is-used-to-investigate-death-threats-by-dig-deshabandu-tennakoon-against-a-journalist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/cid-waits-till-the-rti-act-is-used-to-investigate-death-threats-by-dig-deshabandu-tennakoon-against-a-journalist\/","title":{"rendered":"CID Waits Till The RTI Act Is Used To Investigate Death Threats By DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon Against A Journalist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sri Lanka\u2019s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has finally commenced investigations into a complaint regarding death threats issued to a journalist by a senior police officer on Facebook in 2021, more than a year after the complaint was filed. This was after the Right to Information Commission issued summons to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) in 2022 following the journalist appealing to the Commission. His RTI request in 2021 asking for the status of the investigations had been ignored by the Police Department.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Deshabandu Tennakoon<\/p><\/div>\n

Issuing an interim order on 27th<\/sup> June 2022, the RTI Commission had directed the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to respond on nine questions asked by journalist Tharindu Jayawardena regarding a Facebook post by senior DIG Deshabandu Tennakoon on 1st<\/sup> July 2021.<\/p>\n

The social media message, posted by Tennakoon at the dead of night, had stated that, the journalist was writing lies and that \u2018nature\u2019 or \u2018natural justice\u2019 would \u2018take care of him.\u2019 This rang alarm bells in the journalistic and civil activist community. The deaths and assaults of many journalists had commonly followed such \u2018warnings.\u2019 A collective of media organisations wrote to the IGP asking for a formal inquiry. However, no inquiry took place. The Facebook posts by Tennakoon were in response to articles on the witchhunting of former head of the CID Shani Abeysekera who had handled key investigations against former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, his brothers and his cronies.<\/p>\n

The journalist had then filed an RTI request to the IGP in 2021 asking, if the inquiry into the complaints on the death threats had commenced, if so, how many witnesses had been summoned, who had been put in charge, what was the status etc. After both the Information Officer and Designated Officer had failed to respond, he had filed an appeal to the Commission.<\/p>\n

On the summons of the Commission, the CID had informed that, on the recommendation of its legal committee, the social media division of the CID has now commenced investigations under the direction of a senior DIG. The investigations will proceed on the instructions of the Attorney General, the CID said.<\/p>\n

In its final Order on 3rd<\/sup> of August 2022, the RTI Commission recorded the responses of the CID to all the questions asked by the journalist and directed the IGP to release the correspondence that had passed between himself and the CID regarding the matter as well as the recommendation of the legal committee. The Commission also issued a warning to the IGP to respond to RTI requests without delay as required in the RTI Act.<\/p>\n

Shortly after the RTIC Order, the CID had summoned the journalist for a hearing this Tuesday (9th<\/sup> August 2022). Senior DIG Tennakoon has meanwhile been questioned by the CID on his intentionally permitting thugs of former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to attack peaceful protestors on Galle Face Green on May 9th<\/sup> 2022. Tennakoon was himself attacked by enraged protestors a day later, two suspects have been arrested in connection with that incident.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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