Amnesty International: Media must be allowed to work freely and safely
Sri Lankan authorities must ensure that the country's media are allowed to work without restriction and in safety, Amnesty International said today.
"The Sri Lankan authorities are doing little to ensure the safety of the country’s media, or to prosecute those responsible for murdering or attacking them. They are also directly responsible for subjecting journalists to harassment and interrogation, " said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International' s Sri Lanka Researcher.
Sandaruwan Senadheera, editor of 'Lanka-e-news' was questioned for six hours today by officers from the special wing of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at their headquarters in Colombo Fort about a complaint lodged by the Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse.
The complaint concerned an article posted on the website on 21 February 2008 headlined 'International intelligence service suspends providing information to Sri Lanka; Gota is responsible for the losses since December 31.' Mr Senadheera was told that officers would visit his office next week for further questioning.
This comes a day after an assault on Upali Tennakoon, chief editor of the Rivira weekly newspaper, and his wife Dhammika, and follows the fatal shooting earlier this month of Lasantha Wickramatunga, editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper.
At least 14 media workers have been unlawfully killed in Sri Lanka since the beginning of 2006. Others have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and allegedly disappeared while in the custody of security forces. More than 20 journalists have left the country in response to death threats.
"Without a free media that is able to express alternative views and offer the opportunity for public scrutiny, abuses can flourish under a veil of secrecy and denial. Sri Lanka's climate of impunity for attacks on the media has made it impossible to get an accurate impartial picture of what is happening in the country. By threatening journalists with the risk of arrest, and failing to protect them from attack, the government is failing its citizens," said Yolanda Foster.
For more information please call Carina Trimingham in Amnesty International' s press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5871 or email: carina.trimingham@ amnesty.org
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK www.amnesty. org
3 Comments
Tamil civilians are being killed by the soldiers from the state. Blood is flowing like a river. The injured are dying without any medical attention whatsoever.
All is being done by a state and and a world leadership that is silently supportive.
The soldiers of the 53rd and 54th divison have committed these war crimes. They should be tried in the Hague along with the political leaders, with a view to bring justice. Without doing it do not expect appeals to do any good. It will only waste paper. Killings of journalists will continue.
Address the core problem. Willingness to kill another person just beacuse he is not like me or does not think like me is wrong. Punish a few and show to them it is wrong and punishable.
While President Rajapakse's GoSL boasts to the world his administration observes the highest standards of transparency and accountability, the ground reality here
is just the opposite.If that is so why is the Govt afraid of allowing local and foreign journalists into the conflict areas. Why are the more respected
humanitarian agencies - having been present here for many decades - asked to leave. This charade cannot go on
in today's world of advanced information technology.
ISS
Mr Tissanayagam, a senior journalist with the Sunday Times has been detained for long for sympathising with the plight of those hapless Tamils. He seems to be a kind of person who would have done exactly the same thing had Sinhalese been in similar position. He is being punished for showing humanitarian kindness towards suffering masses. Tissanayagam himself suffers from an eye condition which could lead to blindness without treatment. Why punish such harmless helpful people? After all, they are only attempting to clean up the mess created by this government. Why can't their humanitarian gesture be appreciated!
Lasantha Wickrematunga even knew the there was a heightened risk of him being assasinated due the way he acquired sensitive information about corruption, anti-democratic practices, war and the like and published. He is someone who could easily have been well-off in a foreign country, and written in the safety of that adopted land. No, but, he was driven by a mission rather desire to accumulate wealth and seek comfort.
Being a very forward looking person, Lasantha wanted Sri Lanka to be a better place for all Lankans. Unfortunately, this government would have none of that - Lasantha paid the supreme sacrifice for pursuing is mission.
There are not only 14 media workers murdered by this government but also scores of humanitarian workers killed. No one counts or sheds a tear for numerous social activiits and people with social conscience have been abducted - never to return - simply disappeared, or killed and dumped in the pavement for everyone to see.
Why does the international communities tolerate and continue to fund both overtly and covertly such a terrorist State as the Sri Lankan State? Why is the LTTE branded terrorist, and the Sri Lankan terrorist State given the carte blache by the international community with only verbal admonishments for external consumption whilst continuing to fund State terrorism in Sri Lanka:
"Mahinda, dear chap, go slow on that aerial bombardment, which is killing scores of Tamil civilians. Now, there is good boy!"
"How many sorties have you flown so far since you came to power."
"Oh, let me think, well over three thousand."
"So the Tamils are right in accusing you of genocidal intentions."
"You see, Tamils have always been right about their grievances, and our genocidal intentions. Except, we don't admit it openly. We just say to the world that we haven't got genocidal intentions, get them to fund the war, and keep on killing Tamils. It is a strategy that has always worked for us. We have no intention of changing. Fancy another drink!"