All quiet on the Island


Written by Fahmida Ashraf • Region • December 2010

The international community and various international human rights organizations have been blaming the Rajapakse government, during its first term, of human rights violations, war crimes and of media harassment. During the long civil war government of Sri Lanka kept the media under strict control and an independent coverage of the situation in the war zones was not allowed. Media persons were forced to adopt self-censorship and those who acted independently were termed as traitors and supporters of LTTE by the government. Strict media control by the government during war situation is a common practice. However, media suppression in Sri Lanka continues even after the end of the military offensive in May 2009. In its statement in February 2010 the Amnesty International said, ‘Victory against the Tamil Tigers followed by an historic election should have ended political repression in Sri Lanka, but instead we have seen a serious clampdown on freedom of expression’. After re-election for the second term in April 2010, the Rajapakse government has been talking of working for national reconciliation, economic development and strengthening of democratic institutions. However, despite various international and national organisations’ concern about oppression of media freedom in Sri Lanka, so far, the Rajapakse government has not given any policy guidelines regarding media freedom in the country.

According to various media reports, during the civil war and even after the end of the war, various tactics used by the government to control the media includes, accusations by government officials without evidence, abductions, assaults, threatening telephonic calls and repeated harassments of the police. As stated in a report by the Media Freedom Sri Lanka (MFSL) violence against media persons during 2009 includes: 6 media persons killed in the war zone; 7 abductions, 13 arrests; 17 cases of physical assaults; 72 threats; 9 police interrogations; 6 incidents of arson; 24 instances of censorship. So far, none of the above instances have been investigated by the government. Also, the government has not allowed any independent media person to visit the war zone areas. According to MFSL report some 33 media persons left Sri Lanka in 2009 following threats and intimidations. Some 24 persons have applied for political asylum in Western countries.

Moreover, the Emergency Regulations and the Prevention of Terrorism Act – the Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions and Powers) Regulations 2005, and the Emergency of (Prevention and Prohibition of Terrorism and Specified Terrorist Activities) Regulation 2006 – imposed during the civil war are still enforced. Mr. Jayaprakash Tissainayagam, a Tamil journalist arrested in 2008, was sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by the High Court in August 2009 on charges of getting funds from LTTE and instigating communal violence through his writings. President Rajapakse announced grant of Presidential pardon to Mr. Tissainayagam in April 2010. Another journalist Ruwan Weerakoon, arrested on charges of cooperating with general Fonseka, was released on bail in April 2010.

The International Press Institute (IPI) during its annual General Assembly on September 13, 2010, passed a resolution condemning ‘the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act to incarcerate journalists and the killing of journalists’. The resolution calls upon the Sri Lankan government to ‘restore press freedom and ensure that those who killed, attacked, imprisoned or otherwise violated the rights of journalists during the war are punished’. The IPI has also expressed concern regarding the recent 18th constitutional amendment in September 2010. The Sri Lankan Foreign Minister, during his visit to Britain in October, was told by his British counterpart to ‘demonstrate unconditional commitment to democracy, human rights, and media freedom’. However, on October 19, 2010, the Rajapakse government extended the emergency regulations for one month.

Unfortunately, media harassment by the state and non-state actors is a common threat faced by media organizations in the South Asian region. It is important that existing Media laws should be successfully implemented for building a democratic and representative political order in the region.