AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AI-MAINE • POB 203 • Bath, ME 04530 • AUTUMN 2011

4 SILENCING DISSENT MEDIA WORKERS UNDER ATTACK IN SRI LANKA His wife, Sandya Eknaligoda, was taken into custody for SRI LANKA several hours when she went to lodge a complaint with the Homagama Police on 25 January. She believes her Prageeth Eknaligoda husband was abducted by the government because of his journalistPRAGEETH & EK cartoonistNALIGODA disappeared criticism of President Rajapaksa. © P r i v a t e On 24 JanuaShortlyry, journa libeforest and p ohislitic adisappearance,l analyst active lyPrageeth reporting o nEknaligoda political even ts leading up Prageeth Ehadknali gcompletedoda went ma iscomparativesing from t oanalysis the 26 Jan uofar ythe pres itwodent iamainl elect ion, including Homagama, candidates,near the ca pcomingital Colo moutbo. inH efavourthrea tofs t othe opp ooppositionsition activist scan. - disappeared didate,shortly a Sarathfter leav iFonsekang work at (whothe lost in the election, when Lanka-e-NewPresidents office on Rajapaksa 24 Januar ywas. Lo cre-elected).al This is no tIn th ethe firs tdays time P leadingrageeth Ek naligoda has residents toldup Sr ito La nhiskan disappearance, press they saw a w hMr.ite Eknaligodadisappeared. hadOn told27 A uag closeust 20 09 he was van without nfriendumber pl thatates c helos e believedto his hous ehe at wasabd u beingcted by a followed. group who a Localrrived in a white van. around this tresidentsime. The las treported contact wi th seeing him wa s a whiteHe w a vans bu n withoutdled into numberthe van, blindfolded, at 9.30pm thplatesat day closeand sin toce histhen househis pho narounde han dthecuff etimed and hetak ewentn to an missunkno-wn destination has not functioned and his friends and family before being released the following day. White ing on 24 January. have not heard from him. In the days leading up vans have been used in many abductions to his disappearance, he had told a close friend and enforced disappearances in Sri Lanka, that he believPrageethed he was b e Eknaligodaing followed. had previouslyparticularl ybeen since 2 abducted006, when s intat e agents and August 2009 by a group who alsoparam arrivedilitary g rinou pas white which van;are allied to the When his wifethat repo time,rted hi she di swasappe areleasedrance to th thee gfollowingovernment day.stepp eWhited up avansttack s on critics Homagama phaveolice, sbeenhe wa sused herse inlf d manyetained abductionsfor of the go andvernm enforcedent. disap- © Private several hourpearancess. Prageeth Einkn Srialig oLanka,da had bparticularlyeen since 2006, when the security forces and allied paramilitary groups stepped up Journalist, cartoonist and political analyst Prageeth attacks on government critics. JUSTICE NOW Eknaligoda disappeared from Homagama, near the TAKE AThereCTIO Nstill has been no evidence of a proper, effective capital, Colombo,Amnesty Int eshortlyrnational cafteralls on leaving the work at the investigation into the disappearance of Prageeth Ekna- Lanka-e-Newsgovernm officeent of Sr i Lonan k24a toJanuary take imm e2010.diate Please writligoda.e to the President of Sri Lanka, Please send your appeals to: steps to end repression of journalists and calling on him to: political opponents. To date, Amnesty President Mahinda Rajapaksa International is unaware of any investigation  End the harassment, intimidation, Presidential Secretariat that has led to those believed responsible excessive restrictions and attacks on Colombo 1 Please callfor hu monan rtheights vSriiolat ioLankanns against governmentthe me dtoia. conduct a thorough investigationSri Lanka into the disappearancejournalists aofnd Prageethother media w Eknaligoda,orkers being to make the results of the investigationSalutation: Dea rpublic, Honourabl eand Pres ident to hold baccountablerought to justice. Tthosehese inc foundlude killin gresponsibles  Urg eforntly ethensure disappearance;that all human rights alsoRaja purgeaksa an end to the dating back to 1990. Those who target and violations against journalists are climate eofven impunity kill journalists thathave e hasnjoye dallowed impunity a longindepe ncampaigndently, impartia oflly a intimidationnd effectively and violence against independentfor year sjournalists. in Sri Lanka. investigated, and that those responsible for them are brought to justice.

 Demonstrate the government’s His Excellency commitment to resAmbassadorpect and protect the r iJaliyaght Wickramasuriya PresidentCove rMahinda: Protesters hold Rajapaksaa silent vigil condemning to freedom of expreEmbassyssion, assembly ofand the Democratic Socialist the killing of Sunday Leader newspaper editor association by inviting the UN Special PresidentialLasantha SecretariatWickrematunge, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and Republic of Sri Lanka Colombo15 J a1nuary 2009. expression without further delay. 2148 Wyoming Avenue, NW Sri Lanka© Associated Press Washington, DC 20008 Previous page: Activists for free media demonstrate following a grenade attack on Salutation:a Sr i LYourankan te Excellencylevision station th a t s a m Airmaile day, postage abroad: 98¢ Salutation: Your Excellency Colombo, Sri Lanka, 6 January 2009.

Amnesty International is a global movement of 2.8 million supporters, May 2010 members and activists in more than 150 countries and territories who Index: ASA 37/001/2010 campaign to end grave abuses of human rights. Amnesty International STOP VIOLENCE Our vision is for every person to enjoy all the rights enshrined in the International Secretariat AGAINST WOMEN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other international human Peter Benenson House rights standards. 1 Easton Street London WC1X 0DW We are independent of any government, political ideology, economic interest United Kingdom or religion and are funded mainly by our membership and public donations. www.amnesty.org from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article I All human beings are born free and equal in dig- nity and rights. They are endowed with reason and Amnesty International conscience . . . focuses on preventing and ending Article 3 grave abuses of the rights Everyone has the right to life, liberty and the secu- to physical & mental integrity, rity of person. freedom of conscience Article 19 & expression, Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold and freedom from discrimination, opinions without interference and to seek, receive while promoting all human rights. and impart information & ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. Article 27 Our particular concern during Banned Books . . . Everyone has the right freely to participate Week is to draw attention to writers, editors, in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the librarians, publishers and readers who suffer hu- arts and to share in scientific advancement and its man rights violations because of their work. benefits. . . .

All of these letters and signatures were extremely important in keeping Tissa’s case alive and finally bringing about his release. We urge all of you to continue your good work so that others who are wrongly held will be able to survive.

Ronnate Tissainayagam, wife of former Sri Lanka prisoner of conscience J.S. (“Tissa”) Tissainayagam, freed in June 2010

Banned Books Week 2011 IMPORTANT NOTES: Please do not attempt to write directly to a prisoner; in some countries there might be reprisals. Experience shows that the rarity of replies from governments does not mean our letters are being ignored. If someone does receive a reply, please send a copy to the AI address on the other side (top) of this page.