Sri Lankan: Government officials assault journalists, harass others
This note came from the Asian Human Right Commisssion in Hong Kong and the International Freedom of Expression Exchange about the situation in Sri Lanka.
FST-048-2008
July 22, 2008
A Statement from the Free Media Movement forwarded by the Asian
Human Rights Commission
SRI LANKA: Government officials
attack journalists
21 July 2008
Government officials assault two "Daily Mirror" journalists,
harass Sirasa TV journalist covering home demolitions
(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 19 July 2008 FMM press release:
19 July 2008, Colombo, Sri Lanka: The Free Media Movement (FMM) is extremely
displeased to report the assault of two more journalists and the harassment of
another by government officials.
The journalists were covering the illegal demolishing of hundreds of homes
in Colombo on 18 July under the guise of providing security for the South Asian
Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) meeting later the same month.
On the afternoon of 18 July, Urban Development Authority (UDA) officials
assaulted journalist Yohan Perera and photographer Pradeep Dilrukshana from the
"Daily Mirror" newspaper and harassed TV journalist Dushantha Manoj
from Sirasa TV. They were all covering the violent demolishing of the homes.
Perera was admitted to Colombo General Hospital after having sustained injuries.
The hundreds of police officers present at the scene were unable to stop the
assaults against journalists. There is a mentality influenced by the action of
high Government officials and the ruling party that they can, at their whim and
fancy, assault journalists with complete impunity.
We see this incident as a sign of absolute intolerance towards any
independent coverage of critical issues related to democratic governance. It is
the open policy of this government to quell dissent by violence. The impunity
and the lack of any meaningful measures to address this violence against
journalists place independent and professional voices in the media community in
a very precarious position in Sri Lanka.