'This man has been victimised for no more than holding the government to account and giving voice to legitimate if critical opinion,' IFJ general secretary Aidan White said. 'The sentence is disproportionate, brutal and inhumane and is a chilling reminder of how dangerous Sri Lanka has become for independent journalists.'

'We will not give up our campaign for Tissainayagam,' said White. 'He should be released and this terrible injustice undone immediately.'