(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release: For immediate release – Friday 8 December 2000 SRI LANKA DEFAMATION SENTENCE CONTRAVENES INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression, today condemned the decision of the Sri Lanka Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal of editor Sinha Ratnatunga against criminal defamation […]
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release:
For immediate release – Friday 8 December 2000
SRI LANKA DEFAMATION SENTENCE CONTRAVENES INTERNATIONAL STANDARDS
ARTICLE 19, the Global Campaign for Free Expression, today condemned the decision of the Sri Lanka Supreme Court to dismiss the appeal of editor Sinha Ratnatunga against criminal defamation charges. In 1997, the editor of the independent Sunday Times newspaper had been given a prison sentence, suspended for seven years, and a fine for defaming the President.
The use of criminal penalties such as prison sentences is in complete violation of international principles of freedom of expression, which state that all criminal defamation laws should be abolished.(1) The organisation also pointed out that the time taken for the appeal to come to court was unreasonable.
Andrew Puddephatt, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19 said:
“We are very worried about the ongoing failure of the Sri Lankan government to guarantee freedom of expression in line with its constitutional and international obligations. In a democracy, we would expect civil law to replace criminal sanctions for protecting reputations, and for appeals to be heard in a timely manner.”
ENDS
Notes
1. See ‘Defining Defamation: Principles on Freedom of Expression and Protection of Reputation’, ARTICLE 19, July 2000. Available from ARTICLE 19, or on our website www.article19.org.
2. On Tuesday 5 December, Sri Lanka’s Court of Appeal upheld the conviction of a newspaper editor for defaming the president. The journalist was out of the country monitoring elections in the West Indies.
