Government ordered to pay compensation to rights petitioner for wrongful imprisonment; ARTICLE 19 calls for reform of contempt of court rules
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is a 20 May 2005 ARTICLE 19 press release: SRI LANKA SHOULD REFORM ITS CONTEMPT OF COURT RULES The UN Human Rights Committee, tasked with ensuring implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), has found Sri Lanka to be in breach of its human rights obligations […]
ARTICLE 19 calls upon government to investigate recent threats to journalists
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 letter to Sri Lankan Justice Minister John Senaviratne: Dear Mr. Senaviratne, ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression, is concerned about recent threats targeting journalists and civil society groups, and we call on the Sri Lankan authorities to take effective measures to counter these threats, which […]
Journalists receive death threats as tensions rise; extremist group claims responsibility for veteran journalist’s murder
(CPJ/IFEX) – The following is a 12 May 2005 CPJ press release: SRI LANKA: Journalists receive death threats as tensions rise New York, May 12, 2005 – Two journalists with the Sri Lankan press freedom organization Free Media Movement (FMM) received death threats on Tuesday at the group’s headquarters in the capital, Colombo. Several other […]
FMM leadership receives death threats
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an 11 May 2005 FMM press release: Free Media Movement leadership receives death threats Victor Ivan, FMM convener and chief editor of “Ravaya” newspaper, and Sunanda Deshapriya, FMM spokesperson, former editor of “Yukthiya” newspaper and a freelance journalist, have received death threats from an extreme group calling itself “Theraputtabhaya force” […]
Journalist assaulted at opposition rally
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: Journalist assaulted at opposition political rally An agitated mob assaulted journalist Upul Shantha Medagedara and tried to damage his camera at a political protest in Thamankaduwa, Polonnaruwa district (North Western province) on Friday 6 May 2005. The incident took place at a rally organised by the […]
Body of abducted journalist found
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: Abducted journalist’s body found Free Media Movement condemns the killing of journalist Darmaratnam Sivaram and demands an immediate and impartial inquiry into his killing. The body of journalist Darmaratnam Sivaram was found this morning, dumped in an abandoned paddy field in the Kolonnawa police division of […]
Tamil net editor abducted
(FMM/IFEX) – At around 10:30 p.m. (local time) on 28 April 2005, Darmaratnam Sivaram, a member of the editorial board of Tamilnet website and a political columnist for the English-language daily “The Daily Mirror”, was abducted in Colombo by unknown individuals, according to eyewitnesses who spoke to FMM. Sivaram was coming out of a restaurant […]
Journalist arrested and charged, camera seized
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 16 April 2005 FMM press release: Journalist produced in court and his camera seized Free Media Movement (FMM) expresses its concern that Mr. Hiran Priyankara Jayasingha, a Puttlam district provincial journalist with Lankadeepa newspaper, was arrested and produced in court on charges of trespassing and impersonation when he tried […]
FMM expresses concern over comments made at Patriotic National Movement meeting
(FMM/IFEX) – In an 11 April 2005 letter to the Patriotic National Movement (PNM), FMM expressed its grave concern over a speech made by one of the movement’s chairpersons, Wimal Weerawansa, at a 6 April public meeting held by the PNM in Maharagama. FMM noted that Weerawansa’s address was tantamount to inciting violence and constituted […]
FMM voices concern over conditions imposed on Canadian journalist by Sri Lankan High Commission
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 16 March 2005 FMM statement: The Free Media Movement (FMM) has received a letter from Canadian journalist Steve Schmit of Global TV Canada regarding an unacceptable practice of the High Commission of the Republic of Sri Lanka in Ottawa, Canada. Schmit is a producer for Global TV, in Toronto, […]
Media personnel come under attack in Jaffna
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: ASSAULT ON MEDIA PERSONNEL IN JAFFNA The Free Media Movement (FMM) is concerned about a reported assault on a journalist, and the damage caused to a motorcycle belonging to another journalist, by state security forces in the city of Jaffna, northern Sri Lanka. The incident took […]
State of emergency could have serious implications for free expression, FMM warns
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a FMM press release: On the Declaration of a State of Emergency The Free Media Movement (FMM) notes with serious concern the imposition of a state of emergency in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has had the bitter experience for decades of being governed under states of emergency and the attendant […]
FMM calls on authorities to cooperate with media to ensure that post-tsunami reconstruction effort is conducted in corruption-free and accountable manner
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a FMM press release: The Post-Tsunami Role of the Media The Free Media Movement (FMM) expresses its appreciation for the media’s role in collecting and distributing immediate humanitarian relief for tsunami victims in the days following the tragedy of 26th December 2004. Media institutions got into the act faster than […]
Journalist killed in bomb attack during concert, media institutions blamed for their role in incident
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 14 December 2004 FMM press release: FMM condemns the 11 December 2004 bomb attack against a mega musical show held in Colombo. The attack resulted in the death of two persons, including a journalist. Popular Indian film stars, including superstar Shahrukh Kahn, took part in the concert, which was […]
Grenade attack on newspaper office
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: A hand grenade was lobbed into the provincial office of the Tamil-language newspaper Thinakkural, in Batticloa, on 8 December 2004 at approximately 6:00 p.m. (local time). Three journalists were working in the office at the time of the attack. The grenade exploded, causing damage to the […]
Broadcasting station attacked
(FMM/IFEX) – FMM has condemned the attack on the MTV/MBC media group’s transmission station and the destruction of station equipment as another threat to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka. The network runs several popular television and radio stations in all three of Sri Lanka’s languages. The station is located on the second floor of […]