New York, October 31, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by an attack on Sri Lankan online editor Kumudu Champika Jayawardana, who was shot as he was driving home from work in a Colombo suburb shortly before midnight Wednesday. Sri Lankan media reports said Jayawardana, editor of the news Web site Ethalaya, was admitted…
New York, October 25, 2007—Sri Lankan authorities should immediately release Sunday Leader reporter Arthur Wamanan Sornalingam, who was detained in Colombo on Wednesday in connection with a story critical of a government minister, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. Sornalingam and his mother, with whom he lives, were picked up by Criminal Investigation Division…
Dear President Rajapaksa: The Committee to Protect Journalists is greatly concerned by your government’s unwarranted attacks in various media on Iqbal Athas, associate editor and defense correspondent for The Sunday Times. Officials representing your government have effectively equated Athas’ critical journalism with terrorism, a wholly inappropriate position.
Dear President Rajapaksa, As your government prepares to withdraw from its 2002 cease-fire agreement with Tamil separatists, the Committee to Protect Journalists is greatly concerned by reports that members of your government have tried to intimidate journalists in the Sri Lankan media in recent weeks. In at least two instances, an official used the word “traitor” against a journalist, which is decidedly inflammatory in a country that has seen civil war rage since 1983.
New York, August 31, 2007—The Committee to Protect Journalists remains concerned about the safety of Sri Lankan journalist Iqbal Athas, who has come under threat after writing an August 12 article about alleged government misconduct in the procurement of MiG-27 fighter jets from Ukraine. Athas said that he has been harassed and followed by unknown…
Dear President Rajapaksa: The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by grave threats made against the veteran journalist Iqbal Athas. He has come under extraordinary pressure following his investigations into irregularities surrounding a 2006 deal to purchase MiG-27 fighter jets from Ukraine.
AUGUST 1, 2007 Posted August 29, 2007 Sahadevan Nilakshan, Chaalaram, August 1, 2007, Jaffna KILLED Nilakshan, a 22-year-old journalism student and editor of the student-run Chaalaram magazine, was assassinated by unidentified gunmen at his home on the outskirts of Jaffna, at around 4 a.m. The shooting occurred during curfew hours in an area heavily guarded…
New York, July 5, 2007—Amid an accelerating government attack on media in Sri Lanka, the Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned about a proposal to reintroduce a criminal defamation law that, if implemented, could include two-year prison penalties. Justice Minister Dilan Perera introduced the resolution at a June 27 Cabinet meeting. According to media reports,…
New York, June 20, 2007—The Sri Lankan government should restore domestic access to the TamilNet Web site, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. The Free Media Movement, a Colombo-based press freedom group, and news outlets reported Tuesday that Internet service providers had blocked access to the site on government orders. TamilNet, which openly supports…