(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 28 January 2000 FMM press release: PRESS RELEASE THE INTIMIDATION OF ARTISTS ANOJA, RUKANTHA AND CHANDRALEKHA IS A STEP TOWARDS TERRORIZING THE ENTIRE NATION The Free Media Movement believes that the extension of the anti-media hate campaign launched by the government following the Presidential election on December 21, 1999, […]
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 28 January 2000 FMM press release:
PRESS RELEASE
THE INTIMIDATION OF ARTISTS ANOJA, RUKANTHA AND CHANDRALEKHA IS A STEP TOWARDS TERRORIZING THE ENTIRE NATION
The Free Media Movement believes that the extension of the anti-media hate campaign launched by the government following the Presidential election on December 21, 1999, targetting artists who are viewed as unfriendly to the government, is a direct violation of the freedom of expression and a dangerous development in our political arena.
During the Presidential election campaign, on December 16, 1999, artists campaigning for the United National Party were severely assaulted at Gampaha, which is the electoral base of the President. In another incident on 2 January 2000 in Moneragala, the house of Anoja Weerasinghe, an actress who has won awards for her performances both in Sri Lanka and abroad, was attacked and set on fire. She says that invaluable assets related to her acting career, including awards, souvenirs, films and other documents were destroyed in the flames.
In the most recent incident, on the night of January 26, a gang of thugs invaded the home of a well-known vocalist duo, Rukantha and Chandralekha. The gang poured petrol on them, cut off their hair, and made an attempt on their lives. They finally made off with valuables and a vehicle owned by the couple. The three artists who have been victimized in these incidents – Anoja Weerasinghe, Rukantha Gunatilaka and Chandralekha Perera – had supported the opposition candidate, Mr. Ranil Wickremasinghe, during the past Presidential election. The attacks against them may well be in retaliation for their political activism. All three also played key roles in the play with a political plot, “Trojan Women”, directed by the renowned film and teledrama director, Dharmasiri Bandaranayake. Now Bandaranayake has also received threats. The play is a translation of the Greek drama named ‘Trojan Women’, by the dramatist Euripedes. The involvement of the above-named artists in this play may well be the cause for the attacks on Bandaranayake.
Whatever the motives of these attacks, they are a direct violation of fundamental human rights and especially a violation of freedom of expression. Moreover, what they demonstrate is that there is a well-planned move to suppress media personnel and artists who are critical of the government. This could be a another step to contain our entire society within the grip of political violence. It would not be wrong to assume that the criminal elements who are engaging in these kinds of cowardly yet terrifying actions will also act to ensure the victory of the PA government in the forthcoming general elections. Unleashing this type of attack on popular artists in this manner leads to an automatic spread of a fear psychosis among the general public.
All peace loving and democratic forces should unite to defeat this anti-democratic tendency, which is aimed at intimidating the entire society through the relentless issuing of death threats to journalists who do not support the government, and through various other acts of intimidation targeting other media people and cultural workers. We appeal to all such forces to come forward irrespective of political affiliation.
Media freedom is the foundation of every other freedom in a society. The Free Media Movement appeals to all democratic and peace-loving groups and individuals in Sri Lanka and abroad to come forward to condemn these acts which serve to terrorize the media community while paying lip service to media freedom, and to unite to defeat such act through a programme of collective action.
Varuna Karunatilaka, Convenor
Sunanda Deshapriya, Secretary
