Action Alert ArchiveMedia in Sri Lanka are Victims of State TerrorAugust 31, 2007 A journalist from the Tamil daily Thinakkural was attacked with acid when leaving a hospital in Colombo on August 15, causing serious injuries to his face, chest and legs. He was being treated in the hospital for an arm injury he sustained after being attacked by the Sri Lankan Air Force, according to an interview he gave to the University of California - Los Angeles's AsiaMedia. This was his fifth time being attacked. He is one of many journalists caught in the escalating violence that has prompted Reporters Without Borders to declare Sri Lanka to be one of the most dangerous regions in the world for the press. The report attributed the violence to government-backed "death squads." Tamil journalists are deliberately attacked throughout Sri Lanka, especially in areas with a higher military presence such the northern Jaffna, according to AsiaMedia. Last May, two staff members of Jaffna district's most popular daily newspaper, Uthayan, were killed after five intruders opened fire in their office, one of many attacks upon this newspaper. One member said, "Despite our police protection since the May 2006 attack, everyone knows the paramilitaries can strike whenever they want.... We're victims of terror." There have been no serious investigations into these attacks despite promises from the Sri Lankan government, according to Reporters Without Borders. For the past 3 years, high profile attacks on media, including the assassination of D. Sivaram (Taraki), have happened on or near World Press Freedom Day. Since May of 2006, at least seven media workers, including two journalists, have been killed in Sri Lanka's northern district of Jaffna. After an international press freedom mission to Sri Lanka, Reporters Without Borders and International Media Support released a report about the threats and attacks on media in the North, citing one newspaper publisher who said one editor and his top writer have not left their offices in 16 months for fear of assassination. "It's like we have to look for someone willing to die even to do the deliveries," said Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, publisher of the Jaffna-based Uthayan newspaper. To truthfully cover the military situation and humanitarian crisis in Jaffna would entail risking one's life. Without international attention, Tamil journalists will continue to remain victims of coercion. The suffering of civilians in Sri Lanka is thus silenced by the atrocious attacks and threats against the press in Jaffna. We urge the United States government to support a United Nations monitoring mission to protect fundamental human rights such as freedom of speech in Sri Lanka. |
|
Jun 20, 2008 - Aftenposten
Peace brokers from around the world will once again gather for the annual Oslo Forum next week, to swap experience in conflict mediation. Participants include Mohammad Khatami, former president of Iran; Jonathan Powell, former chief of staff for ex-British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Gareth Evans, president of the International Crisis Group. Read this article
As Sri Lanka's civil war escalates, so do attacks on its journalists
Jun 19, 2008 - AP
With civil war raging in Sri Lanka, the journalists trying to cover the conflict find themselves increasingly under siege. They have been hounded by the government, attacked by unknown assailants and accused of aiding the rebels. Many reporters have been arrested or fled the country, while others have resorted to self-censorship, journalists said.Read this article
Review of Sri Lanka under the Universal Periodic Review
Jun 14, 2008 - Amnesty International
Themes raised by member states participating in the review of Sri Lanka under the UPR dialogue included concerns related to the lack of protection of civilians caught in the internal conflict; enforced disappearances, unlawful/extrajudicial killings; torture and other forms of ill treatment, threats to freedom of expression, the need to strengthen national human rights institutions, attacks on dissent and ongoing impunity for human rights violations.
Read this article
Press freedom in Sri Lanka continues to deteriorate
Jun 13, 2008 - CPJ
The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by government’s policies toward journalists who write critically about the conflict between Sri Lanka’s military forces and Tamil secessionists. We have seen an increase in harassment, intimidation, and detention of reporters, many of whom are columnists in senior positions with well-established careers.
Read this article
S.Lanka says peace brokers can't visit rebel area
Jun 12, 2008 - Reuters
Sri Lanka has refused requests by Norwegian peace mediators to visit rebel territory, and said fresh peace talks hinged on Tamil Tiger guarantees to lay down arms and stick to a negotiation timetable. Nordic ceasefire monitors quit the country this year after the six-year Norway brokered truce disintegrated.
Read this article