News

News

IFJ protests over treatment of journalist
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has protested to the Government of Sri Lanka, over the security investigations into political columnist Upul Joseph Fernando, after a group of Buddhists had filed a formal complaint against him for allegedly writing a defamatory leaflet against Buddhists.

Christopher Warren, President of IFJ said that it was deeply concerned over the allegations against the freelance journalist and political columnist Upul Joseph Fernando of Lankadeepa, a sister paper of The Sunday Times.

The Federation in protest had forwarded letters to President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to ensure that opposition voices are not silenced in the wake of the current religious tension in Sri Lanka and that the religious strife not be used as an excuse to intimidate journalists.

The Federation stated that Upul Fernando has claimed that he was questioned in a threatening way at the Police Criminal Investigation Department on January 19, following a complaint lodged by an anti-Christian extremist group to the Police that Fernando had authored a defamatory leaflet against Buddhists, which was distributed at the cremation of Ven. Gangodawila Soma Thera on December 24.

The Federation further said that it believed that it was inappropriate for the Police Criminal Investigation Department to investigate such allegations and that the charges were politically motivated in an effort to silence journalists who attempt to offer an alternate view on the current situation prevailing in Sri Lanka.

International Federation of Journalists is a global organisation of journalists representing over 500,000 journalists worldwide.

Top

Back to News