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Message: <blockquote data-quote="lkdood" data-source="post: 11551202" data-attributes="member: 92282"><img src="http://www.instablogsimages.com/images/2008/10/22/fmm-accuse_98b1x_19596_200x150.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />A media rights group has filed a court  challenge over the Sri Lankan government's blocking of five news  websites for content that was deemed insulting, a spokesman said  Tuesday.The  local Free Media Movement filed a fundamental rights application in the  Supreme Court on Monday on the basis that the blockade breaches the  people's right to information and freedom of expression, the group's  convener, Sunil Jayasekara, said.The  Information and Media Ministry ordered the sites blocked last month,  saying they committed character assassination and insulted people  including key political leaders. Rights  groups criticized the move as undemocratic. Sri Lankan laws do not  restrict the press from criticizing leaders, but media can be charged  for defamation. The ministry  has also asked websites to register, a new requirement for websites,  while older media formats such as newspapers, radio and television  already have to register before they start opertating. Of  the five sites, lankaenews is highly critical of the government and has  been blocked once previously and been subjected to violence and  threats. A columnist for the website has been missing for nearly two  years and is believed to have been abducted. Its office was set on fire  earlier this year and lankaenews blamed the government for the attack. The  U.S. Embassy in Colombo has called on Sri Lankan authorities and  telecommunications firms "to stop activities aimed at blocking free  access in Sri Lanka to all legitimate media websites, including  Lanka-e-News." Reporters  Without Borders said it was appalled by Sri Lanka's decision to block  the sites and urged it be lifted and the new registration requirement  rescinded. It also called on commercial telecom companies to stop  blocking sites at the government's behest.<img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Associated_Press_logo.svg/140px-Associated_Press_logo.svg.png" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></blockquote>

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