(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 22 January 2004 FMM press release: Threats to a journalist on religious grounds The Free Media Movement condemns attempts by extremist groups to attack a well-known political columnist and freelance journalist. Upul Joseph Fernando has been accused of writing a defamatory leaflet against Buddhists in Sri Lanka. Mr. Fernando […]
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 22 January 2004 FMM press release:
Threats to a journalist on religious grounds
The Free Media Movement condemns attempts by extremist groups to attack a well-known political columnist and freelance journalist. Upul Joseph Fernando has been accused of writing a defamatory leaflet against Buddhists in Sri Lanka.
Mr. Fernando writes a widely-read weekly political column in Lankadeepa, a leading Sinhala-language daily newspaper.
In a very dangerous trend, as a result of two decades of ethnic strife, it has become a practice in Sri Lanka to blame those who take opposing views as being “traitors to the nation”.
Leaders of the anti-Christian movement have used the current tense situation in the country as an opportunity to file a formal complaint with the police against Mr. Upul Joseph Fernando, who comes from the minority Christian religion, accusing him of writing a defamatory leaflet against Buddhists. The complaint was filed in late December 2003. The allegation comes against a backdrop of a series of attacks that have taken place on Christian religious establishments in the last few months.
Mr. Upul Joseph Fernando has complained to the Free Media Movement. As a non-Buddhist, he has been labelled a heretic and thereby has been hounded by the Criminal Investigation Bureau on spurious charges that are politically motivated. Furthermore, it has been reported to the FMM that he was questioned in a threatening manner at the Police’s Criminal Investigation section on 19 January 2004. FMM condemns this unacceptable behavior by police and requests that it not discriminate against Mr. Fernando on religious grounds.
FMM condemns these efforts by a section of society to use the current religious tension in the country to target those who speak out against them, as this violates and infringes upon Mr. Fernando’s fundamental right to free expression.
Sunanda Deshapriya
Spokesperson, FMM
