On August 31, 2009, a Colombo High Court sentenced veteran journalist Jayaprakash Sittambalam (JS) Tissainayagam to 20 years of prison with hard labour for writing articles that criticized how the Sri Lankan government handled the country's civil war. The sentencing of Mr. Tissainayagam, singled out by President Obama as an example of a persecuted journalist, came amid a growing crackdown on the country’s free media. Fourteen Sri Lankan journalists have been killed during the current regime’s rule and 30 more have fled for their lives overseas. Mr. Tissainayagam is now an Amnesty International Prisoner of Conscience and the 2009 winner of Peter Mackler Award for courageous and ethical journalism. Though he has been freed on bail, Mr. Tissainayagam still faces charges. Please Join Our Campaign Calling for Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa to Extend a Full Presidential Pardon to Tissa and to Drop All Charges Against Him so His Name Will Be Cleared.