Colombo (PTI): A media freedom watchdog has expressed concern over increasing cases of journalists being intimidated by the authorities in Sri Lanka, saying their rights "are violated more often than not." The Free Media Movement (FMM) on Sunday said it was concerned that "number of journalists" were being taken into custody for questioning and "held incommunicado for hours" in Sri Lanka.

The right to retain lawyers at police stations while statements are being recorded and their right to inform family and colleagues about their whereabouts are basic rules that have to be followed, the FMM said, adding "We note that these rights are violated more often than not".

"Maintaining that until proven in a court of law, anyone arrested is innocent and has to be treated as such, the FMM stands for the rights of these writers and journalists and as citizens of this country," the FMM said in a statement.

According to the FMM, on the evening of March 6, 'E-Kwality' printing press owner and writer N. Jasiharan was arrested by the Terrorist Investigations Department (TID) with his partner Valarmathi "without any valid reason". Udayanan, a Visual Editor with a web site, was taken in for "questioning", with "no news of him available till midnight."

In another case, the TID came looking for S. Sivakumar (alias Balasubramanium Wasanthan), the spokesperson of the FMM and editor of the bi-monthly Tamil language Sarinihar magazine and took his cousin into custody on Friday, it said.

Even as the FMM agreed that law enforcement agencies "have a right to investigate leads in the public interest and take appropriate action as stipulated by the law," it hoped that until proven in a court of law, anyone arrested is innocent and has to be treated as such, the statement said.