The bail application of two men that attacked Tamil journalists from the Mullaitivu District last week was rejected by the Mullaitivu Magistrate Court Judge on Friday.
Kanapathipillai Kumanan and Shanmugan Thavaseelan, two Tamil Guardian correspondents who went to collect information regarding illegal logging and timber smuggling in the Murippu forest reserve in Mullaitivu, were beaten with metal rods and injured on 12th October 2020.
Mullaitivu Police arrested two suspects in connection with the incident. The case was taken up today in the presence of Mullaitivu Magistrate Court Judge S Leninkumar who rejected both accused’s bail applications.
The attack on the journalists sparked condemnation from Reporters Without Borders and the Jaffna Press Club, who held a protest in Mullaitivu demanding press freedom following the incident.
