DOCSLIB.ORG

Gaza: Worse Than a Crime

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Gaza: Worse Than a Crime Tuesday 13th January, 2009 The Island ANALYSIS 6 Editorial COMMENTARY Foxes watching over poultry pall of gloom has were assaulted in 1995. Three week have been placed at the nabbed by the police while he The present government can- descended on the Sri years later, his house came doorstep of the Rajapaksa gov- was covering a protest march. not cite anything—not even the ALankan media following under a grenade attack. (In 2000, ernment! It was also under a UNP heinous crimes its rivals have the brutal murder of The his press was sealed.) Did she Curiously, UNP Leader Ranil regime that popular television perpetrated against the media in Sunday Leader editor Lasantha bring to book the goons respon- Wickremesinghe has also taken journalist Sagarika Gomes was the past––in extenuation of its Wickremetunga. It has sent a sible for those attacks carried up the cudgels for the media. murdered for unknown reasons failure to bring those responsi- chill down many a spine. Today out allegedly at the behest of her Last Friday, he gagged himself and the Aththa cartoonist ble for attacks on media institu- it is Lasantha and who will it be government? and protested against Yunoos mercilessly assaulted tions and journalists to book. tomorrow? Chandrika says she regrets Lasantha's murder in the very for pillorying the then govern- The government's track record But what troubles us is not so having sacked the UNF gov- ment potentates. But, the UNP and the violent disposition of much the spine or the chill in ernment in 2004. Does she also bigwigs championing media some of its members are such question but the restless gorge regret her decision to seal the The Island rights today did not even that it is only natural that the that rises at the sordid conduct Leader press? It was also Published by Upali Newspapers Ltd. make a whimper then. Why? public and the media have no of the wily practitioners of sar- under her watch that Rohana 223, Bloemendhal Road, Colombo 13. The JVP, too, has joined the alternative but to presume the cophagus politics. Kumara, Editor of the Satana Tel: 2497574, Fax: 2497543 campaign for protecting the government guilty until it E-mail: [email protected] There are many political wor- tabloid was gunned down. His Branch Advertising Office: media. Our Rathu proves itself innocent by hunt- thies weeping buckets for the killers were never brought to No. 6, Sir Chittampalam Sahodarayas deserve praise ing down and prosecuting the media that has come under justice! Taraki or D. Sivaram, A. Gardiner Mawatha for their concern for democra- culprits responsible for crimes attack. They even get off their one of the best political com- Colombo 1 cy. A JVP MP waxed eloquent against the media. Tuesday 13th January, 2009 bulletproof limos in the blazing mentators in this country was against the backdrop of the Meanwhile, it behoves jour- sun to shout themselves hoarse abducted and murdered in charred remains of the MTV nalists to bear in mind that in defence of media freedom. If April, 2005. No one has so far Parliament, where his party had studio complex destroyed by a politicians' love for the media only they had been so concerned been convicted of that crime! once insulted brilliant journal- goon squad last week and is nothing but lack of opportu- about media rights when they Ironically,while Lasantha was ist cum artiste Richard de Zoysa demanded that the culprits be nity to suppress it. Given half were in power! being harassed under the posthumously calling him many brought to justice immediately. a chance, they will seal print- Former President Chandrika Kumaratunga government, the a name in a veiled attempt to jus- He did the right thing, no doubt. ing presses, revoke licences of Kumaratunga has lashed out at then Minister Mahinda tify his violent death at the But, the mere sight of a JVPer TV and radio stations and have the Rajapaksa government over Rajapaksa, whom Chandrika hands of the death squads of the on TV evokes our memories of their critics assaulted or even the killing of Lasantha. She accused of being the ‘reporter’ Premadasa government in 1990. two eminent television personal- killed. So, forging any partner- appeared on TV the other day of her Cabinet because of his Ranil was also a prominent ities, Thevis Guruge and ship with them to protect asking why a government which rapport with the media, was on minister of the JRJ government Premakeerthi de Alwis, killed media rights is tantamount to boasted of its ability to tame the Lasantha's side. After the 2005 which had the gumption to by the JVP sparrow units in the having a fox to watch over LTTE could not deal with the presidential election which reward a police officer convicted late 1980s. poultry! killers of Lasantha. We have the Mahinda won, Lasantha and by the Supreme Court of violat- We would like to know from No media campaign against right question being asked by Chandrika patched up differ- ing the fundamental rights of the JVP knights in shining suppression will succeed so the wrong person! However, the ences and joined forces against Vivienne Goonewardena on the armour championing media long as it is in the grip of wily government ought to answer the present government. And International Women's Day in rights why they ever snuffed out politicians and the captains of that pertinent poser. the blame for the arson attack 1983. She had been beaten inside those innocent lives and caused the victim industry (read Chandrika was President on the Leader press in 2007 and a police station when she tried an irreparable loss to the Sri NGOs) looking for corpses to when Lasantha and his wife the killing of Lasantha last to defend one of our cameramen Lankan media. further their interests. Gaza: Worse than a Crime The existing Arab regimes are willing to make peace with Israel on the basis of the 1967 borders, mainly because they fear the further radicalisation of their own populations, and perhaps even violent revolu- tion, if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to fester.But the Arabs as a whole have all the time in the world: sooner or later the wheel will turn and Israel will become vulnerable. If it has not integrated into the region by then, it will be in mortal peril. by Gwynne Dyer Obama later this month, because largely to shift the opinion polls rejectionist, the man who suc- he has no intention of squander- in favour of the ruling parties cessfully sabotaged the Oslo srael is not going to show ing his abundant but finite politi- before the election. However, it Accords and effectively killed the restraint,” Foreign cal capital on a quixotic attempt must be over, and somehow look “peace process” during his last “IMinister Tzipi Livni told to bring peace to the Middle East. like a success, before Israelis term as prime minister in 1996- the Washington Post on Saturday, He will spend it instead on goals actually vote. Good luck. 99. He rejects the very idea of a after the United States abstained that have some chance of being The war against Hamas in “two-state solution” to the on Friday’s UN Security Council achieved, and he will be right to Gaza looks more and more like Israeli-Palestinian conflict. resolution calling for a ceasefire do so. the three-week Israeli war Netanyahu is a glib ideologue in Gaza. All last week the specu- Yet the Israeli offensive in the against Hizbollah in Lebanon in who does not understand strate- lation grew that Washington was Gaza Strip will almost certainly 2006, which could hardly be gy and sees no reason for Israel going to defy its Israeli ally for end within the next two weeks. called a success. It will last about to seek peace with its neighbours once and vote for the resolution, International revulsion at the as long. It will kill about as many if the price is giving the but literally as the delegates sat carnage among Palestinian civil- Arabs, probably a thousand or so. Palestinians back their pre-1967 down in the Council chamber the ians will play a certain role. Any And it will end with Hamas, like borders. In the long run, there- phone call came from President big loss of life among Israeli sol- Hizbollah, still able to fire rock- fore, the war is more of a disaster Bush ordering Secretary of State diers, or the capture of even one ets at Israel. for the Israelis than it is for the Condoleezza Rice to abstain. or two soldiers, would turn This means that Binyamin Palestinians. So nothing will stop Israel Israeli public opinion against the Netanyahu, the Likud Party Israel currently enjoys three from hammering the Gaza Strip war overnight. And the clincher leader who was already leading huge strategic advantages. It has as hard as it likes — and the situ- is that the Israeli election is on 10 in the opinion polls, is almost the strongest army in the region ation is unlikely to change with February. certain to form the next Israeli by far, backed by the only modern the inauguration of Barack The war is being fought now government. He is the ultimate economy and the only technolog- ically competent population. It has an absolute monopoly on nuclear weapons within the region. And it has the unstinting, unquestioning support of the world’s only superpower. But none of these advantages is for- ever, and Israel needs to make A car burns following an Israeli air strike at the Rafah refugee camp southern peace with its neighbours while Gaza Strip, Sunday, Jan.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The 35Th Annual Conference on South Asia (2006) Paper Abstracts
    35th Conference on South Asia October 20 – 22, 2006 Accardi, Dean Lal Ded: Questioning Identities in Fourteenth Century Kashmir In this paper, I aim to move beyond tropes of communalism and syncretism through nuanced attention to Indian devotional forms and, more specifically, to the life and work of a prominent female saint from fourteenth century Kashmir: Lal Ded. She was witness to a period of great religious fermentation in which various currents of religious thought, particularly Shaiva and Sufi, were in vibrant exchange. This paper examines Lal Ded’s biography and her poetic compositions in order to understand how she navigated among competing traditions to articulate both her religious and her gender identity. By investigating both poetic and hagiographic literatures, I argue that Lal Ded’s negotiation of Shaivism and Sufism should not be read as crudely syncretic, but rather as offering a critical perspective on both devotional traditions. Finally, I also look to the reception history of Lal Ded’s poetry to problematize notions of intended audience and the communal reception of oral literature. Adarkar, Aditya True Vows Gone Awry: Identity and Disguise in the Karna Narrative When read in the context of the other myths in the Mahabharata and in the South Asian tradition, the Karna narrative becomes a reflection on the interdependency of identity and ritual. This paper will focus on how Karna (ironically) negotiates a stable personal identity through, and because of, disguised identities, all the while remaining true to his vows and promises. His narrative reflects on the nature of identity, self-invention, and the ways in which divinities test mortals and the principles that constitute their personal identities.
    [Show full text]
  • 10Th Session 2009
    IS THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AWARE OF THE GENOCIDE OF TAMILS? APPEAL TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL APPEL À LA PRISE DE CONSCIENCE DU CONSEIL DES DROITS DE L 'H OMME - NATIONS UNIES LLAMADO PARA REACCIÓN URGENTE DEL CONSEJO DE DERECHOS HUMANOS -NACIONES UNIDAS WEBSITE : www.tchr.net 10th session / 10ème session / 10° período de sesiones 02/03/2009 -- 27/03/2009 TAMIL CENTRE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS - TCHR CENTRE TAMOUL POUR LES DROITS DE L 'H OMME - CTDH CENTRO TAMIL PARA LOS DERECHOS HUMANOS (E STABLISHED IN 1990) HYPOCRISY OF MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA “T HERE IS NO ETHNIC CONFLICT IN SRI LANKA AS SOME MEDIA MISTAKENLY HIGHLIGHT ” MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA TO THE LOS ANGELES WORLD AFFAIRS COUNCIL – 28 SEPTEMBER 2007 “Ladies and Gentlemen, our goal remains a negotiated and honourable end to this unfortunate conflict in Sri Lanka. Our goal is to restore democracy and the rule of law to all the people of our country. 54% of Sri Lanka’s Tamil population now lives in areas other than the north and the east of the country, among the Sinhalese and other communities. There is no ethnic conflict in Sri Lanka - as some media mistakenly highlight. Sri Lanka’s security forces are fighting a terrorist group, not a particular community.” “I see no military solution to the conflict. The current military operations are only intended to exert pressure on the LTTE to convince them that terrorism cannot bring them victory.” (Excerpt) http://www.president.gov.lk/speech_latest_28_09_2007.asp * * * * * “....W E ARE EQUALLY COMMITTED TO SEEKING A NEGOTIATED AND SUSTAINABLE SOLUTION TO THE CONFLICT IN SRI LANKA ” MAHINDA RAJAPAKSA TO THE HINDUSTAN TIMES LEADERSHIP SUMMIT AT NEW DELHI ON 13 OCTOBER 2007 “It is necessary for me to repeat here that while my Government remains determined to fight terrorism, we are equally committed to seeking a negotiated and sustainable solution to the conflict in Sri Lanka.
    [Show full text]
  • Jfcqjsptlpq Learning-Politics-From
    LEARNING POLITICS FROM SIVARAM The Life and Death of a Revolutionary Tamil Journalist in Sri Lanka MARK P. WHITAKER Pluto P Press LONDON • ANN ARBOR, MI Whitaker 00 PLUTO pre iii 14/11/06 08:40:31 First published 2007 by Pluto Press 345 Archway Road, London N6 5AA and 839 Greene Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48106 www.plutobooks.com Copyright © Mark P. Whitaker 2007 The right of Mark P. Whitaker to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Hardback ISBN-10 0 7453 2354 5 ISBN-13 978 0 7453 2354 1 Paperback ISBN-10 0 7453 2353 7 ISBN-13 978 0 7453 2353 4 Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data applied for 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Designed and produced for Pluto Press by Chase Publishing Services Ltd, Fortescue, Sidmouth, EX10 9QG, England Typeset from disk by Stanford DTP Services, Northampton, England Printed and bound in the European Union by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham and Eastbourne, England Whitaker 00 PLUTO pre iv 14/11/06 08:40:31 CONTENTS Acknowledgements vi Note on Transliteration, Translation, Names, and Neutrality ix Three Prologues xi 1. Introduction: Why an Intellectual Biography of Sivaram Dharmeratnam? 1 2. Learning Politics from Sivaram 18 3. The Family Elephant 32 4. Ananthan and the Readers’ Circle 52 5. From SR to Taraki – A ‘Serious Unserious’ Journey 79 6.
    [Show full text]
  • Repression of Dissent in Sri Lanka in the First 100 Days of New Presidency 9Th January – 19Th April 2015
    Repression of Dissent in Sri Lanka In the first 100 days of new Presidency 9th January – 19th April 2015 The Government has not given green light to the production of a film on well-known journalist Richard de Zoysa who was abducted by the police and killed on 18 February 1990 ( photo:Internet) INFORM Report: Repression of Dissent in Sri Lanka 100 days (9th Jan. – 19th Apr 2015) Contents: 1. Military threatens displaced persons not to talk to British Minister 2. Death threats from SL military operatives to distributor of Tamil weekly 3. Three Tamil journalists Intimidated 4. Tamil journalist remanded for allegedly false report 5. Leaflet distribution disrupted and activists attacked by pro- Rajapaksa group 6. TV station alleges crew detained and assaulted by another TV station 7. Courts imposes restrictions on woman human rights defender released after 362 days in detention without charges 8. Passport impounded over supporting Channel 4 9. Journalist assaulted to cover-up a dubious deal 10. Vavuniya Citizen’s Committee head summoned to TID 11. No clearance for the film on Murdered Journalist Richard de Zoysa 12. Authorities refuse to remove one year old gag order on human rights defender 13. Police attacks University student protest 14. Teargas used against demonstrators against the Police 15. Activist Buddhist Monk harassed by Police INFORM was established in 1990 to monitor and document human rights situation in Sri Lanka, especially in the context of the ethnic conflict and war, and to report on the situation through written and oral interventions at the local, national and international level.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Freedom in Post War Sri Lanka and Its Impact on the Reconciliation Process
    Reuters Institute Fellowship Paper University of Oxford MEDIA FREEDOM IN POST WAR SRI LANKA AND ITS IMPACT ON THE RECONCILIATION PROCESS By Swaminathan Natarajan Trinity Term 2012 Sponsor: BBC Media Action Page 1 of 41 Page 2 of 41 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT First and foremost, I would like to thank James Painter, Head of the Journalism Programme and the entire staff of the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism for their help and support. I am grateful to BBC New Media Action for sponsoring me, and to its former Programme Officer Tirthankar Bandyopadhyay, for letting me know about this wonderful opportunity and encouraging me all the way. My supervisor Dr Sujit Sivasundaram of Cambridge University provided academic insights which were very valuable for my research paper. I place on record my appreciation to all those who participated in the survey and interviews. I would like to thank my colleagues in the BBC, Chandana Keerthi Bandara, Charles Haviland, Wimalasena Hewage, Saroj Pathirana, Poopalaratnam Seevagan, Ponniah Manickavasagam and my good friend Karunakaran (former Colombo correspondent of the BBC Tamil Service) for their help. Special thanks to my parents and sisters and all my fellow journalist fellows. Finally to Marianne Landzettel (BBC World Service News) for helping me by patiently proof reading and revising this paper. Page 3 of 41 Table of Contents 1 Overview ......................................................................................................................................... 5 2 Challenges to Press Freedom
    [Show full text]
  • Human Rights in Sri Lanka, an Update 2 News from Asia Watch
    March 12, 1991 HUMAN RIGHTS IN SRI LANKA AN UPDATE Introduction As the killing of Deputy Defense Minister Ranjan Wijeratne on March 2, 1991 underscores, the Sri Lankan human rights situation is marked by lawlessness on all sides.1 Wijeratne, who ran an often brutal government campaign against Tamil separatists, was killed together with 18 others in a car bomb explosion in Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo. It was not immediately clear which of the several parties with grievances against the minister was responsible. Those parties include militant groups such as the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), a radical Sinhalese nationalist insurgency operating in the south of the country, and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE, also known as the Tamil Tigers), the largest of numerous armed Tamil guerrilla groups fighting for an independent state in the northeast. All have committed atrocities in the course of the civil war. The government, for its part, has directly contributed to the violence by supporting, training and arming groups with a history of abuses against civilians, sometimes supporting two or more rival factions against each other, sometimes encouraging the formation of death squads composed of members of the security forces. It has engaged in a series of purges of suspected sympathizers of the various guerrilla groups, involving mass arrests, disappearances and extrajudicial executions. The top leaders of the JVP, responsible for thousands of killings in 1988-89 of government officials, members of the security forces and citizens believed to be working with them, were shot dead while in custody in late 1989. In August 1990, after a new round of fighting between government forces and Tamil guerrillas broke out, Wijeratne told the Sri Lankan Parliament, "Just as we dealt with the JVP, the scum of the South, we shall deal with this scum of the North.
    [Show full text]
  • Sri Lanka-Homicide of Richard De Zoysa-Fact Finding Mission Report
    INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION OF JURISTS P.O. Box 120, 1224 Chene-Bougeries/Geneva, Switzerland Telex: 418 531 ICJ CH Telephone: (4122} 49 35 45 Fax: (4122} 49 31 45 Report of Anthony Heaton-Armstrong, Observer appointed by the International Commission of Jurists August 1990 CONTENTS 1. BACKGROUND . 1 2. SUMMARY OF OBSERVER'S INVOLVEMENT........... 3 3. PERSONAE . 5 4. CHRONOLOGY . 7 5. OBSERVATIONS . 15 ; 6. EVIDENCE OF INDENTIFICATION IMPLICATING SSP GUNASINGHE AND COMMENTARY................ 18 7. COMMENTARY AND CONCLUSIONS .................. 20 7.1 THE POLICE INVESTIGATIONS .................... 20 7.2 THE ROLE OF THE ATTORNEY-GENERAL............. 21 7 . 3 THE ROLE OF THE COURT . 2 3 7 . 4 THE FUTURE . 2 3 8. LIST OF ADDENDED DOCUMENTS 26 L15t2.A{2.y International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) Geneva, Switzerland /v\ 1\() MAGISTERIAL INQUIRY INTO THE HOMICIDE OF RICHARD DE ZOYSA Report of the observer appointed by the International Commission of Jurists 1. BACKGROUND On 18 February 1990 Richard de Zoysa, a 31 year old journalist, was abducted from his home near Colombo in Sri Lanka in the early hours of the morning by a group of men. His body was found in the sea on 19 February. He had been shot. A magisterial inquiry into the killing was instituted shortly afterwards. About three-and-a-half months later Mr de Zoysa's mother, Dr Manorani Saravanamuttu, who had been present at the abduction, claimed to have identified one of the abductors as Senior Superintendent of Police Ronnie Gunasinghe when watching a television news broadcast on which he had appeared. The police authorities declined to arrest Mr Gunasinghe.
    [Show full text]
  • April 2010.Pub
    Issue No. 123 February - April The police looking on while a man is seen grabbing a monk who is on a death fast demanding that retired General Sarath Fonseka be released from detention. Human Rights Review : February - April Institute of Human Rights 2 INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Editorial 3 Current issues : Election violence - democracy under threat - HR violence • US wants Sri Lanka to follow rule of land in Fonseka’s arrest 5 • Protest against death in police custody • A Special Police Unit To Protect The Good Name Of The 6 Rajapakses • Cut waste to avert major financial crisis – Wijedasa • Our Electoral Rubicon 7 • Special Panel on Sri Lanka uncalled for and unwarranted 8 • Lowest voter turn out ever 9 Freedom of Expression Denied • From Richard De Soysa to Ekneligoda : The Slide 10 • Mob attacks MBC 12 • Lawyers condemn attack on MBC/MTV 13 War Crimes • Pillay repeats call for probe 14 • JVP agrees with Miliband • On Democracy 15 THE LEGEND OF APRIL FOOL’S DAY Articles • Guarding Against Authoritarianism : NOTEBOOK OF A NOBODY 16 • Arrest and Detention of Gen. Fonseka - A Legal Perspective 18 by Sarath N. Silva LLM. PC. Retired Chief Justice Unit Reports 21 Education Unit 21 Legal Unit 22 Restoration & Protection Unit 23 Staff Information 24 Edited by Cover page pics by Leela Isaac Daily Mirror - 06 / 04 / 2010 Layout designed by Hashini Rajaratna Human Rights Review : February - April 2 Institute of Human Rights 3 EDITORIAL arge crowds rush to Jaffna every day. Some of those who fail to find lodging. The old platform is L them have never been there before.
    [Show full text]
  • An Interview with Anders Sjöbohm on Aspects of Culture in Sri Lanka
    NAOSITE: Nagasaki University's Academic Output SITE Title An Interview with Anders Sjöbohm on Aspects of Culture in Sri Lanka Author(s) Robinson, Le Roy Citation 経営と経済, 72(2), pp.125-149; 1992 Issue Date 1992-09-25 URL http://hdl.handle.net/10069/28604 Right This document is downloaded at: 2020-09-18T08:18:10Z http://naosite.lb.nagasaki-u.ac.jp KEIEI TO KEIZAI, Vol.72 No. 2 , September 1992 An Interview with Anders Sjobohm on Aspects of Culture in Sri Lanka LeRoyRobinson Anders Sjobohm(b. 1947) is a professional librarian at the Stads- bibliotek (Town Library) in Molndal near Goteborg, Sweden. He is also a journalist for the cultural page of Goteborgs-Tidningen, an evening newspaper. His main interest is in the literary culture of Sri Lanka. He has published numerous articles on Sri Lankan writers. He has written a preface to a collection of short stories by Sri Lankan poet Jean Arasana- yagam. He has translated into Swedish poems by Richard de Zoysa, a murdered Sri Lankan journalist. He has reported on a peace conference on Sri Lanka held in Sweden. Sjobohm is married to Ingrid Thor. They are the foster parents of John Sanjaya, who was an infant at the Good Shepherd Convent, Wattala, Sri Lanka, when they adopted him about eight years ago. ******* This is the second part of an interview the first part of which ap- peared in Keiei to Keizai, December 1991. » J^ V^ <l^ »J-» v|^ v!^ ^1^ ^|^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ 126 KEIEI TO KEIZAI ROBINSON: Do you see any aspects of culture in Sri Lanka that could make a P9sitive contribution to civic life? SJOBoi:il'vi: At least in th~ory the English language and the Christi~n faith cut.
    [Show full text]
  • An Agenda for Change the Right to Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka
    AN AGENDA FOR CHANGE THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN SRI LANKA October 1994 © ARTICLE 19 ISBN 1 870798 57 0 CONTENTS Acknowledgements Acronyms 1. Introduction 1.1 ARTICLE 19's Visit to Sri Lanka 1.2 Freedom of Expression and Armed Opposition Groups 1.3 The New Government's Undertakings 2. Freedom of Expression and International Human Rights Law: Sri Lanka's Obligations Under the ICCPR 3. Constitutional and Legal Protection of Freedom of Expression 3.1 Constitutional Protection 3.2 Emergency Powers 3.3 Prevention of Terrorism Act 3.4 Parliament (Power and Privileges) Act 3.5 Press Council Law 3.6 Defamation 3.7 Sedition 3.8 The Official Secrets Act 4. Media Freedom 4.1 State Control of Broadcasting and Newspapers 4.2 Broadcasting of News by Privately-Owned Stations 4.3 Attacks and Threats Against Media Personnel 4.4 Use of Advertising and Other State Resources to Influence the Media 4.5 Reporting the Conflict in the North and East 5. Impunity - 1 - 5.1 Indemnity Laws 5.2 The Need for Impartial Investigation of "Disappearances" and Extrajudicial Killings 5.3 Protection of Witnesses 5.4 Further Means Used to Prevent Disclosure of the Truth 6. Conclusion NB This version of the report does not contain footnotes. For a full version contact [email protected] ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research for this report was carried out during an investigative visit by ARTICLE 19 to Sri Lanka in July 1993. The mission team was led by Dr Frances D'Souza, Executive Director of ARTICLE 19, and the other members were Brian Currin, National Director of Lawyers for Human Rights in South Africa, Charles Goddard of the Hong Kong Journalists' Association and Susan Hay, Sri Lanka Coordinator for ARTICLE 19.
    [Show full text]
  • Smashing a Private TV Station Is Most Foul
    The Island OPINION Tuesday 13th January, 2009 Views LETTERS 7 Smashing a private TV A greeting station is most foul card with a t’s almost 15 years since hear nothing” stance. It is their religious beliefs media man, the late Mr. therefore no surprise that become secondary. difference IRichard de Zoysa, was crime is galloping at an During civil wars, murdered or rather slaugh- alarming rate. weapons and uniforms of r. ‘Kattadiya’ writ- ter and his naked body was It is reported in the dead soldiers and insur- ing to ‘The Island’ dumped on the sea beach. media that there are 580 gents which are lost or spir- Mof 6/1 has Up to date no one has been million firearms floating ited away, or hidden away prits are allowed to go scot- had met their waterloo at expressed his genuine sur- accused or arrested for this all over the world-averag- are retrieved and sold later free as they did many years Armour Street. prise when he received a foul deed. As usual, the ing, one weapon for every to the underworld crimi- ago when Mr. Richard de Today, the 9th, another New Year greeting card police department is in the seventh person on this nals to be used against law- Zoysa was abducted from media man Mr. Lasantha with the figures of two dev- dark (and still they seem to planet. Today there are abiding citizens. his residence in the pres- Wickrematuge - Chief ils wishing him well and be in the same situation civil wars in many coun- Smashing a private TV ence of his mother, the late Editor of The Leader has invoking all devils to save when-ever daring crimes tries and youngsters are station to satisfy the ego- Dr.
    [Show full text]
  • Sri Lanka: Silencing Dissent
    Embargoed for: 7th February 2008 Map of Sri Lanka © University of Texas Libraries AI Index: ASA 37/001/2008 Amnesty International February 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction 1 2. Background 3 3. Freedom of Expression: International Standards 6 3.1 Restrictions on Freedom of Expression 6 3.2 Sri Lankan Legal Framework 8 3.3 Emergency Regulations (ERs) 8 3.4 Emergency Regulation (Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism and Specified Terrorist Activities) No. 7 of 2006 10 4. Human Rights Violations against journalists and other media workers in the context of the conflict 12 4.1 Unlawful killings of journalists and other media workers 12 4.2 Enforced Disappearances of journalists 17 4.3 Arrests of journalists 18 4.4 Bombing of Voice of Tigers Radio Station 21 4.5 Threats and other forms of intimidation 22 5. LTTE Abuses 25 5.1 Silencing Dissent in the Vanni 25 5.2 Diaspora media targeted by LTTE 26 6. Karuna faction threatening Sudar Oli & Thinakkural 27 7. Increasing government restrictions on the media 28 7.1 “You are with us or against us” 29 7.2 Threats to journalists covering the conflict and corruption issues 31 7.3 Journalists assaulted during protest 32 7.4 Arson attack on Sunday Leader Publications Office 33 7.5 Cultural production faces threats to freedom of expression 33 7.6 Censorship of Aksharya 34 7.7 Targeting and silencing of Mawbima newspaper 35 7.8 Blocking and suspension of services 36 8. Lack of accountability and action 38 9. Respect and ensure respect for the right to freedom of opinion and expression 40 10.
    [Show full text]