(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release: Editor threatened by political party leader Free Media Movement condemns the threatening phone call made by the propaganda secretary of the Peoples Liberation Front (JVP), Mr. Wimal Weerawansa, to the chief editor of Lankadeepa newspaper, Mr. Siri Ranasingha, late in the evening on 10 March. The […]
(FMM/IFEX) – The following is an FMM press release:
Editor threatened by political party leader
Free Media Movement condemns the threatening phone call made by the propaganda secretary of the Peoples Liberation Front (JVP), Mr. Wimal Weerawansa, to the chief editor of Lankadeepa newspaper, Mr. Siri Ranasingha, late in the evening on 10 March. The threatening call was made on the grounds that a political advertisement that was due to appear in Lankadeepa newspaper the following day was damaging to Mr. Weerawansa.
If politicians make threatening phone calls to editors late in the evening regarding articles, features or advertisements due to be published the following day, there won’t be any press freedom and it will be tantamount to censorship by politicians.
Politicians and other citizens can seek legal recourse for any damaging articles or advertisements published by the media, or assistance from the Voluntary Press Complaints Commission. Nobody has the right to threaten an editor in order to get an article or advertisement withdrawn. Although Mr. Weerawansa has apologised for his phone call, FMM believes that this tendency has to be condemned unconditionally.
FMM urges all political party leaders and their followers to respect freedom of expression and not to intimidate journalists, editors or media institutions, especially as general elections approach.
In addition, FMM condemns the death threats aimed at Mr. Dinesh Vihagun Fernando, the news editor of a small weekend Sinhala-language newspaper called Laknada. According to his complaint to FMM, he has received several threatening calls and his newspaper’s staff has been threatened with firearms. Mr. Fernando has now been given police protection. FMM urges the police to speed up the inquiry and bring the culprits to book.
Last week, in another incident related to press freedom, thousands of copies of the Tamil-language newspapers Thinakural and Veerakesaree were confiscated and set on fire by politically-motivated gangs in eastern Sri Lanka, where a major spilt has taken place in the ranks of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. FMM condemns those responsible for this anti-media attitude, as well as the act itself, and earnestly hopes that the media will be able to report on political developments related to the split without any further hindrance.
Sunanda Deshapriya
Spokesperson, FMM
