Intn'l Orgzns write to President expressing concerns over media freedom

Three international Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) namely Amnesty International, Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) have written to President Gotabaya Rajapaksa expressing concerns over the state of media freedom in the country. 

The letter signed by Julie Verhaar, Acting Secretary General of Amnesty International, Joel Simon, Executive Director of Committee to Protect Journalists and Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders said that they are concerned by reports that journalists and other media workers in Sri Lanka are being subject to harassment, intimidation and surveillance by the authorities as well as other actors. 

"To quote a few examples, in November 2019, the police raided the offices of Newshub.lk, using an expired search warrant on the pretext they were looking for allegedly defamatory content. In another case in December, the former head of Lake House New Media Division was assaulted by a group with ties to the ruling party. In January, a group of journalists were threatened with death, in leaflets left by an unknown group at the Batticaloa Press Club. In at least three other cases, journalists have been questioned by the Criminal Investigation Department or the police regarding their work and reporting.State and private broadcast and print media are carrying out smear campaigns on journalists critical of the Government, and these are mirrored on their social media channels, where those journalists are further demonized. We are alarmed that we continue to receive reports of harassment of journalists still as of this month," the letter said. 

While stressing that Sri Lanka has a troubling history of impunity for violence against journalists, the letter alleged that incidents of attacks by individuals or groups against journalists from the North to the South are rarely investigated through a prompt, impartial, independent and effective inquiry with a view of bringing suspected perpetrators to justice in fair trials. 

"As you are aware, the right to freedom of expression is protected in the Sri Lankan Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, a treaty to which Sri Lanka is bound as a state party. It is a right that plays a key role in realizing the full range of human rights set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human rights standards, including the right to an effective remedy. Without it, there cannot be full transparency and accountability,"

The three organizations collectively urged the government to take concrete steps to create a safe and enabling environment where journalists and other media workers can carry out their vital work freely and without fear, by carrying out effective and independent

investigations into all alleged incidents of attacks, threats and intimidation of journalists, and to hold perpetrators to account with a view of preventing such incidents in the future. As you rightly said, “We have to ensure that everyone has the right to freely express themselves.” - a pledge President Rajapaksa announced in his speech.