culture of impunity and indifference in Sri Lanka

JOINT ACTION: International mission condemns "culture of impunity and indifference"
Sri Lanka Date: 21 January 2009 Source: International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) , International Press Institute (IPI) , Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Person(s): Lasantha Wickrematunga
The following is a joint action by the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Press Institute (IPI), Reporters sans frontières (RSF) and two other organisations:
International Press Freedom Mission
Global Media Rights Groups Condemn "Culture of Impunity and Indifference" in Sri Lanka
The International Press Freedom Mission today condemned a "culture of impunity and indifference" over killings and attacks on journalists in Sri Lanka. Since the beginning of the New Year, both the killing of a senior editor and the attack on the facilities of a popular independent TV channel have led to a total paralysis of the media community.
Launching a new report, "Media under Fire: Press Freedom Lockdown in Sri Lanka", the International Mission criticised the government over its inaction and failure to take the attacks, murder and assassination of reporters seriously. This has in turn led to an almost total blackout of independent and objective reporting from the North and East of Sri Lanka, which have seen the worst of the country's long-running civil war.
"In all the cases of attacks against media and assassinations of reporters there are few serious investigations by the authorities and none of the killers are ever brought to trial," said the International Mission. "A hostile environment of intolerance propelled forward by the top political leadership has created a culture of impunity and indifference making every day hunting season for attacks on media staff."
Based on its visit to Sri Lanka in October 2008, the International Mission noted three trends relating to the coverage of the conflict: lack of press access and independent information flow in the conflict zones; a wave of assaults and intimidation of journalists covering the conflict; and self-censorship by the media on the realities of the war.
Since the International Mission took place, the situation for media has continued to deteriorate in Sri Lanka. On 6 January this year the studio of the Maharaja Television/Broadcasting Network (MTV/MBC) was attacked by armed gunmen. On 8 January, Lasantha Wickrematunga, editor of the Sunday Leader, was shot dead by two men on a motorcycle as he drove to work in Colombo.
On 15 January, police began a widespread search for MTV Channel 1 Chief Chevaan Daniel after accusations of him being behind the attack on his station.
According to the findings of the International Mission, reporters and editors conveying messages that are critical of the government's war against the LTTE are labelled as "traitors" and "terrorists" where they work in an increasingly hostile environment of censorship and fear.
The International Mission is shocked at the repeated instances of elected representatives and Government Ministers using violent and inflammatory language against media workers and institutions. Not surprisingly this has led to widespread self-censorship among journalists in order to protect their lives.
"The killing of Lasantha and the deaths of at least 8 other journalists along with 2 disappeared since 2007 illustrates in painful detail just how journalists and media staff continue to suffer for their profession," said the International Mission. "Without a proper investigation into Lasantha's assassination and the attack on MTV, there will be no chance at all for the government to claim that it assumes responsibility to guarantee the basic safety and independence of media," said the International Mission.
We urge the government to accept the creation of an international and independent commission to investigate the two recent attacks in line with requests by Sri Lankan journalists and media institutions. As a group, the International Mission will offer its assistance to form this commission and to participate in the investigation.

For further information on the Wickrematunga case, see: http://www.ifex.org/en/content/view/full/99736


http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/go/news/sri-lanka-writers-called-to-protest-murder-of-editor-lasantha-wickramatunga

SRI LANKA: Writers called to protest murder of editor Lasantha Wickramatunga

International PEN's Writers in Prison Committee is outraged by the murder of editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper Lasantha Wickramatunga, who was shot and killed on 8 January 2009. International PEN calls on the Sri Lankan authorities to do all in its powers to bring those responsible to justice. It also calls on PEN members to write messages of support to the editor of the Sunday Leader, whose journalists continue to be under threat. Send messages to
editor@thesundayleader.lk


According to International PEN's information, Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickramatunga, aged 52, was shot dead on the morning of 8 January 2009 as he drove to work. Wickramatunga was critically injured, and after three hours of surgery he died from his wounds. Just days beforehand he wrote an extraordinary article predicting his murder, published posthumously in the Sunday Leader on 11 January 2008.

He writes: I hope my assassination will be seen not as a defeat of freedom but an inspiration for those who survive to step up their efforts... People often ask me why I take such risks and tell me it is a matter of time before I am bumped off. Of course I know that: it is inevitable. But if we do not speak out now, there will be no one left to speak for those who cannot, whether they be ethnic minorities, the disadvantaged or the persecuted.

(for the full article go to http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20090111/editorial-.htm) .

Lasantha Wickramatunga has been known for many years for his writings focusing on corruption, governmental policies and the long standing civil war in the Tamil area of North and East Sri Lanka. He received numerous death threats, was detained on several occasions, and has faced a number of libel cases. In November 2007 the printing press of the Sunday Leader was destroyed after an arson attack. In his last editorial Wickramatunga condemned the Sri Lankan president for failing to seriously investigate these attacks, and accused the government of using the war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) known as Tamil Tigers, to remain in power. He also criticised opposition leaders for remaining silent on the country's conflict, suggesting that journalists were therefore forced to speak out: "That is why more journalists have been attacked in recent years than have opposition politicians," he wrote.
Journalists and media outlets commonly suffer intimidation and violence in Sri Lanka. Some reports suggest the intimidation has got worse as the war has intensified between the Sri Lankan army and the Tamil Tigers, and the government has been accused of encouraging the violence by accusing critical reporters of being rebel-sympathisers and enemies of the state. One of these cases is that of V. Jasikaran and J. S. Tissainayagam, Tamil journalists arrested in early March 2008, who have not yet been sentenced. It is widely believed that the two men are targeted for their reporting and analysis on the ongoing conflict. There are also allegations that both men have been subjected to torture and ill treatment in detention in the Sri Lankan capital, Colombo. The murder of Lasantha Wickramatunga occurred two days after a private television station was stormed by more that ten heavily armed men who destroyed the station's equipment. It is said that the Government had called this TV station ‘unpatriotic' for its reporting of the civil war.
Read:Lasantha Wickramatunga's last editorial:http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20090111/editorial-.htm
An overview on Lasantha Wickramatunga's career: http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20090111/spotlight-1.htm
Tributes:http://www.thesundayleader.lk/20090111/REVIEW.HTM

Take Action
Please send appeals:

Urging the Sri Lankan authorities to do all its powers to bring the murderers of editor Lasantha Wickramatunga to justice;
Calling on PEN members to write messages of support to the editor of the Sunday Leader whose journalists continue to be under threat; send messages to editor@thesundayleader.lk
Expressing serious concern for the safety of journalists in Sri Lanka, many of whom are attacked and threatened with apparent impunity for their reporting; Urging the government to fulfil its duty to guarantee the right to freedom of expression, in accordance with Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) to which Sri Lanka is a state party.

Appeals to:
His Excellency the President Mahinda Rajapaksa Presidential Secretariat Colombo 1, Sri Lanka Fax: +94 11 2446657

Salutation: Your Excellency
Hon. Amarasiri Dodangoda
Minister of Justice and Law Reforms Ministry of Justice and Law Reforms Superior Courts Complex, Colombo 12Sri Lanka Fax: +94 11 2445447

Salutation: Dear Minister
H. M. G. S. Palihakkara Ambassador Permanent Mission of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka to the United Nations #630, 3rd Avenue (20th Floor) New York 10017 United States of America http://www.internationalpen.org.uk/ipfarcry/conjuror/mail@slmission.comFax +1 (212) 986-1838

Please copy appeals to the diplomatic representative for Sri Lanka in your country if possible.

***Please contact this office if sending appeals after 12 February 2009***
For further information please contact Cathy McCann at International PEN Writers in Prison Committee, Brownlow House, 50/51 High Holborn, London WC1V 6ER, Tel.+ 44 (0) 20 7405 0338, Fax: +44 (0) 20 7405 0339, email: cathy.mccann@internationalpen.org.uk

The news had been posted earlier

http://penreporter.blogspot.com/2009/01/writers-called-to-protest-murder-of.html