March for media freedom tomorrow

Media organizations, civil society groups and trade unions will stage a protest march tomorrow in support of media freedom and hand over a petition to the Media Ministry at Polhengoda, Narahenpita. A petition on the prevailing culture of impunity and issues relating to media freedom will be handed over to the Mass Media and Information Minister Anura Priyadarshana Yapa.

The march will commence at 12.30 p.m. at the Narahenpita junction and proceed to the Media Ministry at Kirulapone Mawatha, Colombo 5. Earlier this week media organizations called on the Government for immediate action on the increasing violence against journalists and media workers in the country.

They urged the Government to bring to justice those responsible for the attacks on journalists in the form of threats, assaults, arrests and killings which have increased in the recent past. Free Media Movement (FMM) Convener Sunanda Deshapriya said over the past two years 11 journalists and media workers have being killed and several others attacked or abducted.

“However no one has taken responsibility for these attacks and no investigations have been conducted on such incidents so far,” he said. “We are aiming for a constructive engagement with the Government. We demand an end to this culture of impunity. The Government should take steps to ensure media freedom,” he said.

Members of the Free Media Movement, the Sri Lanka Tamil Media Alliance, the Sri Lanka Muslim Media Forum, the Federation of Media Employees’ Trade Union, the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association and the Editors’ Guild are expected to participate in the march on this day which is also World Human Rights Day.