Articles by Free Media Movement
Journalists attacked by governing party supporters
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: Attack on Freedom of Expression and Association On Thursday 2 October 2002, an organised gang of governing party supporters attacked a peaceful pretest against illegal timber felling and attacked the journalists covering the event. The attackers seized a number of cameras during the incident, which occurred […]
FMM asks LTTE to launch internal investigation into attack on “Thinakkathir” newspaper
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 28 August 2002 FMM letter to Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Velupillei Prabhakaran: Mr. Velupillei Prabhakaran, Leader, The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Fax: 021 3781 28.08.2002 Dear Sir, Attack on the Thinakkathir Newspaper Office The Free Media Movement (FMM) wishes to highlight the recent attack on […]
Newspaper office attacked, staff beaten, equipment stolen
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 12 August 2002 FMM press release: Free Media Movement (FMM) strongly condemns the violent attack on Thinakkathir newspaper, which took place on the night of 8 August. Thinakkathir is a Tamil-language provincial newspaper based in the eastern city of Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. Tamil is the language of the largest […]
Civil unrest threatens journalists’ freedom to report
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: Civil unrest threatens journalists’ freedom to report FMM notes with concern that journalists in Sri Lanka increasingly face direct and indirect threats while reporting on civil unrest, clashes and political violence in recent times. Last week, two such incidents were reported from Kurunegala and Trincomalee districts. […]
Provincial journalist threatened
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 26 June 2002 FMM press release: Provincial journalist threatened A.J.A. Abeynayaka, a provincial journalist connected to the Sinhala language daily Divaina, has been receiving threats since reporting on the court proceedings of a torture case. Recently he reported on the case of eighteen-year-old Lalith Rajapakse, who was badly tortured […]
FMM welcomes repeal of criminal defamation law
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: The Free Media Movement warmly congratulates the government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and the Sri Lankan parliament, who unanimously passed an act of parliament on June 18, 2002, that repealed criminal defamation laws from the statute books. This is the first major legislation in over […]
FMM welcomes cabinet decision to abolish criminal defamation
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is a 24 April 2002 FMM press release: The Free Media Movement warmly welcomes the decision by the Cabinet Ministers to approve legislation to abolish the criminal defamation laws from the statute books. The government spokesman announcing the granting of approval for the draft law said the law would be tabled […]
Plot to kill two newspaper editors exposed
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: Discussion with president to kill two editors in order to save the government The Free Media Movement, which has held the government of President Chandrika Kumaratunga responsible for the murder, assault and intimidation of journalists in the past seven years, has been vindicated by a statement […]