ARTICLE 19 Laments Murder of Editor

Sri Lanka: ARTICLE 19 Laments Murder of Editor

Lasantha Wickrematunga, Editor-in-Chief of The Sunday Leader, was murdered as he drove to work in Colombo on 8 January 2009. At least the ninth journalist to have been killed in Sri Lanka over the last two years, Lasantha’s murder signals an all-time low point for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. The government has signally failed in its duty to bring to justice those responsible for these murders, as well as its wider duty to respect freedom of expression.

“The murder of Lasantha is a travesty and a grave blow for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka,” said Toby Mendel, Senior Legal Counsel, ARTICLE 19. “This is a direct attack on The Sunday Leader, which ARTICLE 19 has defended in the past, and which is one of the most independent sources of information in Sri Lanka.”The silencing of voices through murder, the most extreme form of censorship, has become rampant in Sri Lanka in recent years. The government’s unprecedented military successes against the Tamil Tigers, and its ability to maintain strict security checkpoints around the country, stand in stark contrast to its complete failure to find and prosecute any of those guilty of these heinous crimes, which attack not only the immediate victims, but all Sri Lankans. A moving editorial published in The Sunday Leader on 11 January, a few days after Lasantha’s death, and apparently written shortly beforehand, stands as a grim testament to the reality of life for independent journalists in Sri Lanka. The editorial is clear as to who is responsible for Lasantha’s murder: “When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me.”Indifference to murders of journalists is only one of many failures on the part of the Sri Lankan government to respect freedom of expression. The government has imposed a complete blanket of secrecy around its military operations. The only information on the conflict comes from official sources and the LTTE, which often provide wildly different, even diametrically opposing, views on events. Government retains firm control over the State broadcasters, no right to information law has been adopted despite numerous promises, there is no independent broadcast regulator and a number of repressive laws set strict standards for media output. A stark example of this is the case of Sri Lankan journalist J.S. Tissainyagam, who has been in detention since March 2008 and was finally charged under the Prevention of Terrorism Act in August of that year.ARTICLE 19 calls on the Sri Lankan government to ensure that a proper investigation of this murder is undertaken and those responsible are brought to justice. It also calls on the international community to take effective steps to address the lack of respect for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka, and to make sure that Lasantha’s death was not totally in vain.

NOTES TO EDITORS:
• For more information: please contact Toby Mendel, Senior Legal Counsel, ARTICLE 19, a19law@hfx.eastlink.ca, +1 902 431-3688.