CPJ, partners urge Sri Lankan president to protect press freedom

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By Editor_1
Journalists and well-wishers light candles on the grave of slain journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge on his 12th death anniversary, in Colombo on January 8, 2021 -  AFP

COLOMBO —The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) joined 24 media and civil society organizations on Monday (13), in calling on Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to prioritize press freedom and justice for crime against journalists.

The CPJ, which has documented a persistent pattern of impunity for murders and attacks against journalists in  Sri Lanka, including dozens that occurred during and in the aftermath of the country’s 26-year civil war that ended in 2009,  noted that freedom of expression is protected by the country’s constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sri Lanka is a state party.

In a joint letter to the president, the organizations welcomed the National People’s Power (NPP) government’s expressed commitment to upholding media freedom and pursuing accountability for past crimes against journalists, as outlined in the coalition’s election manifesto.

To that end, they called upon the new government to reopen or initiate prompt, impartial, and transparent investigations to ensure accountability in cases of violence against the press and other violations of human rights and freedom of expression, including, but not limited, to dozens of murders, abductions, and physical attacks on journalists and media offices during and in the aftermath of the country’s 26-year civil war that ended in 2009.

“The investigations should meet international standards, including those outlined under the United Nations’ Minnesota Protocol on the Investigation of Potentially Unlawful Death,” the letter stated, stressing that effective investigations require robust protection mechanisms for witnesses and investigators— an issue it said was thoroughly described in the 2022 case hearing on slain journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge for The People’s Tribunal on the Murder of Journalists, a joint initiative of the Committee to Protect Journalists, Free Press Unlimited, and Reporters Without Borders.

The organizations also welcomed the recent order of a reinvestigation into the 2005 murder of journalist Dharmeratnam Sivaram but further urged the authorities to bring the prolonged prosecution for the 2010 enforced disappearance and suspected murder of journalist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda to a timely and effective end while ensuring accountability for all perpetrators providing access to justice and effective remedies for Ekneligoda’s family.

The letter also urged the president to ensure law enforcement agencies end the harassment and intimidation of journalists; repeal the Online Safety Act and the Prevention of Terrorism Act; amend the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges) Act and the Personal Data Protection Act and establish an independent, self-regulatory media commission.

The Online Safety Act, it noted grants sweeping powers to a commission appointed by the president to censor online content, thereby creating a chilling effect on freedom of expression, while the Prevention of Terrorism Act has long been used to imprison and harass journalists for their work, adding that the relevant offences should instead be addressed within the framework of the country’s existing criminal laws.

The letter noted that Dissanayake’s election as president of Sri Lanka, a country haunted by impunity for brutal attacks on the media, offers a historic opportunity to demonstrate a genuine commitment to democratic principles, and urged him to seize

“this critical moment”, stating, “We stand ready to support your efforts to protect media freedom, freedom of expression, and the public’s right to information. The Sri Lankan people deserve no less.”

-ENCL

The letter in full

Joint-letter-to-President-Dissanayake-

 

 

Editor_1
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