Sri Lanka
Free Media Movement alleges lack of freedom of speech, constant monitoring and undue interference in media’s functioning
Sri Lankan television journalist Chamuditha Samarawickrama shows parts of his damaged house following a pre-dawn attack by armed men in Colombo on Feb. 14. (Photo: AFP)
A media watchdog in Sri Lanka has urged the government to guarantee freedom of expression, protection and safety of journalists who are facing increasing intimidation and restrictions.
Parami Ranasinghe, a popular female presenter, was sacked recently by state-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC) for criticizing President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his government on social media.
Ranasinghe said she has been banned from entering SLRC premises for expressing her personal views, which the Free Media Movement (FMM) described as “a serious violation of freedom of expression and fundamental rights of journalists working for a state-owned media institution.”
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Lasantha De Silva, a convener of FMM, said in a statement on March 17 that the incident “sends a strong signal that journalists are constantly being monitored.”
Many journalists have complained to the inspector general of police about their suspicion of being monitored. “It is not only a loss of freedom of speech and expression but also an indication that an espionage operation is underway to jeopardize the safety of journalists,” De Silva said.
FMM further cited the case of journalist Rahul Samantha, who had been restrained from recording and reporting on a sand smuggling incident by Duminda Silva, chairman of the National Housing Development Authority and a former member of parliament.
“Sri Lanka is a country where justice has not yet been done to journalists who were abducted and disappeared in the past”
“It is an appalling incident that shows the extent of undue interference in the media’s functioning in Sri Lanka,” said De Silva.
On Feb. 14, Shehan Malaka Gamage, a Catholic civil rights activist and freelance journalist who exposed the masterminds behind the 2019 Easter attack, was arrested for holding a press conference and causing public displeasure toward the government. He was later released by a court.
On the day Gamage was arrested, a group of masked men attacked the house of Sri Lankan television journalist Chamuditha Samarawickrama, who had criticized the powerful ruling Rajapaksa family and their allies in his broadcasts and on social media.
The masked men allegedly threatened the security guard by holding a gun to his head before pelting stones and smearing the journalist’s house with human waste.
Some 16 journalists and media workers have been killed since 2005, while there were 138 cases of attacks on journalists and media institutions during the past decade, according to the International Committee to Protect Journalists. All the cases remain unsolved and none of the perpetrators have been arrested.
“Sri Lanka is a country where justice has not yet been done to journalists who were abducted and disappeared in the past,” said a Catholic priest who did not want to be identified.
Meanwhile, Catholic priests, nuns and human rights defenders have approached the Supreme Court seeking the abolition of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) as it is a serious threat to media freedom and those defending human rights.
According to Amnesty International, the PTA was being misused by the government as a weapon to target and harass journalists and rights defenders.
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