Action Alert Archive

Lack of Media Freedom Curtailing Democratic Norms

July 17, 2006

Sri Lanka has now become a "deathtrap for journalism" according to the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ). In recent months, the murders of reporters have fostered a milieu of intimidation that is patently noxious to the free flow of information. During the present cease-fire, the GoSL had relaxed restrictions on a free press somewhat, but, due to the recent upsurge in violence against civilians by the Sri Lankan armed forces, they have once again begun to restrict media freedoms. Impunity for the perpetrators, under the watch of current president Mahinda Rajapakse's administration, serves to efface any notion of freedom of press in Sri Lanka.

The GoSL's actions over the past months have clearly demonstrated their lack of belief in the idea of a free press. In May of this year, a group of unidentified gunmen entered the offices of the Uthayan newspaper in the Northern Jaffna province, killing two journalists and injuring three others. On June 17th, a team from the BBC, which included the correspondents Andrew Harding and Dumeetha Luthra, was denied access to the district of Mannar following a series of massacres against civilians and a church bombing by SL Navy soldiers. The Free Media Movement said of the refusal, "Given the severity of these incidents and the need to ascertain conditions on the ground, the denial of journalists amounts to a forced censorship and a violation of freedom of information." On July 4th, Lakmal Silva, a Sinhalese reporter who reported mainly on defense issues was killed in Colombo. Silva had recently published reports critical of Sri Lankan security forces. Reporters Without Borders condemned the killing saying, "If the authorities want to put an end to the rumors about the implication of the security forces in the killing, they must hold a rigorous and impartial investigation." However, no such investigation has occurred in this killing or in any of the other recent attacks on journalists in Sri Lanka. These murders are only part of growing trend, for which the killing of renowned Tamil journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram in April 2005 was a watershed and harbinger of things to come.

In an atmosphere of fear, there can be no freedom of the press. This idea, being one of the vital prerequisites to a functioning liberal democracy, is not one that can easily be cast aside. Thomas Jefferson himself said of the press, "Our liberty cannot be guarded but by the freedom of the press, nor that be limited without danger of losing it." We cannot let this pass. Government-sponsored impunity for the murders of journalists and other media workers must be challenged. In the name of truth, democracy, and the promotion of human rights and peace in Sri Lanka, we urge you to invite impartial members of the international community to investigate and resolve the cases of violence against the media.