His Excellency Mahinda Rajapaksa President of Sri Lanka and Minister of Defense, Public Security, Law and Order 6-8 Amwell Street Presidential Secretariat London EC1R 1UQ Colombo 1 United Kingdom Sri Lanka Tel: 44 20 7278 9292 Fax: 44 20 7278 7660 Via facsimile: +94 11 2430 590 Email: [email protected] Web: www.article19.org 18 January 2008
Executive Director His Excellency President Rajapaksa, Dr Agnès Callamard
We are writing to you to express our grave concern about the current situation of freedom of expression in Sri Lanka, in particular the recent International Board harassment and maltreatment against the media by members of the Galina Arapova (Russia) government and armed forces, and the culture of impunity that surrounds the Param Cumaraswamy frequent attacks on journalists that have taken place since 2004. (Malaysia) Paul Hoffman (US) ARTICLE 19 has received reports that a number of journalists have been Gara LaMarche (US) labelled as “traitors” by the Minister of Social Services and Social Welfare, Daisy Li (Hong Kong) Jorge Islas Lopez (Mexico) K.N. Douglas Devananda, and the commander of the Sri Lankan Army, Maj. Goenawan Mohamad Gen. Sarath Fonseka. The Ministry of Defence has gone as far as to accuse (Indonesia) veteran journalist Iqbal Athas on its website of “promoting terrorism” for his Arne Ruth (Sweden) reporting on army setbacks against the LTTE. In another recent incident, the Malcolm Smart (UK) Minister of Labour, Mervvyn de Silva, forcibly entered the State-run TV station Sri Lanka Rupavahini Cooperation and assaulted its staff. Executive Board Heather Rogers (Chair) These recent attacks are only the tip of the iceberg of entrenched problems of George Alagiah lack of respect for press freedom and freedom of expression, including a Louise Christian culture of impunity. Since 2004, there have been numerous cases of attacks, Anne Howarth Richard Sambrook murders and abductions of journalists and media personnel especially those Catherine Smadja working for Tamil media, such as Uthayan, TamilNet, Batticaloa- Mary-Ann Stephenson Eelanatham and Sudar Oli. A particularly egregious case is that of Senaka Ekanayake, editor of SATANA, who was allegedly tortured and detained for Honorary Member over 9 months. He was released on bail on 4 January 2008, but personal Aung San Suu Kyi (Burma) effects, including essential items such as his national identity card, have not been returned. ARTICLE 19 Research and Information Centre on Censorship (A company limited by guarantee)
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Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers’
ARTICLE 19 is deeply disappointed with the way your Government has handled these grave violations of human rights. It is our understanding that only a few cases have been investigated and so far no perpetrator has been brought to justice. We are also worried that, with the withdrawal of the Ceasefire Agreement, which went into effect on 16 January 2008, there will be a further deterioration in respect for freedom of expression in Sri Lanka.
We urge the Sri Lankan Government to respect freedom of expression, as guaranteed by the Sri Lankan Constitution and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which Sri Lanka has ratified. In particular, we call on you to end the culture of impunity by allocating sufficient resources and political will to bring to justice perpetrators of human rights violations, as well as to guarantee that journalists and human rights activists can perform their work free from fear of physical and other attacks by the Government.
Yours truly,
Dr. Agnès Callamard Executive Director
Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: ‘Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers’