Freedom of expression

Eight students from the University of Virginia School of Law* visited Sri Lanka from January 1 to January 16, 2012 as part of the Cowan Fellows Human Rights Study Project, an independent student organization. They conducted interviews in Colombo, Kandy, and the Vanni region with Government officials, activists, NGOs, journalists, IDPs, ex-detainees and other individuals […]

UNP’s Mangala Samaraweera alleged in parliament yesterday (Feb. 23) that the defence ministry was tapping the phones of 687 persons. They included 124 cabinet ministers and government MPs as well as religious leaders, newspaper editors and several journalists, he said, adding that two Chinese phone companies are being paid huge sums for carrying this out. This is […]

The Cabinet of Ministers is to be presented a Cabinet memorandum today seeking permission to introduce new legislation on the Public Performances Board. The memorandum has been drafted by the Mass Media and Information Ministry and the Cultural Affairs Ministry.The main aim is to monitor quality and the sense of balance in teledramas, commercial advertisements, […]

Central province chief minister Sarath Ekanayake has ordered that schoolchildren be not allowed to mimic president Mahinda Rajapaksa at public functions. His order to the provincial education secretary is expected to be issued in circular form to all principals in the province this week.  The most immediate reason for the order is that the child of […]

Journalists in Sri Lanka began a campaign on January 25 in memory of colleagues who fell in the quarter-century long civil war in the island nation. This day of protest united all Sri Lanka’s principal professional journalism bodies  and was planned as a reminder to those in power that the vital task of national reconciliation […]

If the time ever does come for a comprehensive evaluation of security policies and legislation adopted during the privation and emergencies of war and the peacetime ‘stability’ of a post-war context, it would only be fair to conclude that the unpleasantness of the former far exceeds the unpleasantness of the latter, but it is still […]

The title is inspired by the article Are Chinese Telecoms Acting as the Ears for Central Asian Authoritarians? published in Eurasianet.org, examining the probable role of Chinese telecoms firms, notably Huawei and ZTE, in espionage and surveillance. The article notes that both ZTE and Huawei have signed contracts worth tens of millions of US dollars with governments […]

One person was killed and three others were injured when the STF opened fire at a group of fishermen protesting in Chilaw a shortwhille back, residents claimed.  The fishermen were protesting over the increased fuel prices in the town. They were marching from the fish market to the town.The person killed as identified as  Warnakulasuriya […]

Basic Liberties cannot be taken away by any State Organ Let me begin this article with the following often quoted words, worth reading and digesting.“The law is not the private property of lawyers, nor is justice the exclusive province of judges and juries. In the final analysis, true justice is not a matter of courts and […]

Basil FernandoNot only the content but also the style of the propaganda issued by the state media is aimed at dulling the minds and discouraging independent thought within the nation, says the Asian Human Rights Commission’s Basil Fernando in a statement.The result is that when immensely dangerous things happen to the community the people have […]

An awareness programme of the movement that was held at the Colombo Manning market today (Feb. 10) was disrupted by armed security personnel, the media unit of the Movement for Peoples’ Struggle says.’ With the movement commencing their awareness programme by distributing leaflets, armed policemen had approached them warned that no anti-government activities could be […]

“I told my [paramilitary] boys to beat up these journalists. But, the boys are not paying attention. It seems I have to go in person and do it to make these journalists behave,” was the newest controversial comment by SL Minister and EPDP paramilitary leader Douglas Devananda on Thursday evening at a meeting held at […]

With President Mahinda Rajapakse making a visit to Jaffna, posters warning the Tamils with death are being distributed throughout the country.  These posters threaten the Tamils with death for supporting the Liberation Tigers and for spreading tales against the Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The posters are said to warn the Tiger supporters both local […]

Sri Lankan state media which are directly controlled by the president’s office continue to slander the press freedom watch dog, the Free Media Movement and its leading activists.  In a response to FMM statement to prove state media allegation that FMM is working with the Tamil National Alliance state media has unleashed another round of […]

The wards of the Chaavakachcheari hospital, renovated with help from Red Cross societies from Finland and Ireland at different stages and that were already declared open, were declared once again opened by SL president Mahinda Rajapaksa on Monday. The ‘hijack’ move projected as a part of ‘grand opening’ under Rajapaksa’s Vadakkin Vasantham (the spring of […]

Media ReleaseThe Free Media Movement (FMM) unequivocally rejects the allegations and insinuations made in the Dinamina headline story on Friday (03 February) as blatant lies, unfounded, unsupported and unsubstantiated. We further believe, the report was published with the malicious intent of undermining independent media, which is fighting for democracy and freedom of expression, and those […]

By JC Weliamuna This is the question of the day. This is raised nationally and internationally and answers contrast for different reasons. In this article, I endeavor to briefly answer this question from a governance perspective, keeping in mind the present socio-political realities in Sri Lanka. The President appointed the Commission of Inquiry on Lessons […]

The Free Media Movement says it rejects the claims made against the movement by the lead story of the lake House owned Dinamina newspaper on Feb. 03,  2012.  The FMM further challenges the Lake House administration and the Dinamina editor to present credible evidence to prove the claims. The new report claimed that the FMM had […]

An Open Letter to Minister Keheliya RambukwellaMr. Minister, I don’t know whether you have seen the film called ‘my name is Khan. In it, the main character played by popular actor Shah Rukh Khan Repeats the lines ‘My name is Khan. I am not a terrorist’ at different points in the film, in order to […]

Well known political critic and writer, Kusal Perera contributing to “Political & Governance” column in the Sunday Leader news paper is booted out, say inside sources, after the Sunday Leader was bought over by a Rajapaksa proxy, Asanga Seneviratne a well known racketeer. Kusal Perera’s stand against military rule and Tamil people in Sunday Leader […]

NfR Sri Lanka, a network of Sri Lankan journalists and human rights defenders, expresses its strongest condemnation of the life threatening hate campaign unleashed by the government of Sri Lanka on the Free Media Movement (FMM) and media freedom activists in the country.  This campaign which has been going on for more than a month […]

”What contradicts banal official assurances that governance processes would be set to rights post LLRC extends to a far more disturbing reality than that. When something as fundamental as a protest demonstration by the media gets hijacked by pro government protestors numbering thugs holding clubs and three wheeler drivers who defy a court order that […]

Frederica JanszLast week a story on the front page of a daily English newspaper caught my eye.  Not for its content but for the sheer absurdity of such a story having made headlines on the front page of a newspaper.  This was the story: Manioc stolen from Horogolla. The article went on to say that […]

When this correspondent went to the Fort Railway Station to join colleagues in a planned demonstration of media activists last Thursday, he was confronted by an unexpected situation. The site of the proposed demonstration was already occupied by (presumably) agents of the government who held a counter protest. Their placards read: “Free Media Movement is […]

Colombo chief magistrate Rashmi Singappul dismissed a request by Cinnamon Gardens Police to ban a protest by Ayurvedic doctors at Lipton Circus today (Jan. 30).  The magistrate told police that they had powers, as per article 95 (01) of the Police Ordinance, to prevent any rally or protest being held in violation of the law.Ayurvedic […]

Pro-government protesters, some armed with clubs, seized the promenade outside Fort Railway Station on Wednesday, to prevent media activists from observing “Black January,” a month when many of Sri Lanka’s journalists were attacked over the years.This was despite the Colombo Fort Magistrate Kanishka Wijeyratna making an order that media activists be allowed to stage their […]

Media activists coming down hard on Minister Keheliya Rambukwella for his statement accusing journalists of being in the LTTE payroll have demanded legal action against those reporters if proved.  “We challenge the government to prove these charges, because we’re ready to face the consequences,” said Sunil Jayasekera, Convener of the Free Media Movement.“So many people […]

Police had sought a court order preventing the protest march organized by non-academic staff of universities reaching the University Grants Commission premises today.Police barriers were seen at different entry points to Colombo. About 1000 protestors demanding authorities to address their salary anomalies, gathered at the Viharamahadevi Open Stadium. Thursday, 26 January 2012  ST

Cabinet Spokesperson, Minister Keheliya Rambukwella charged that reasonable doubt is cast over the actions of certain journalists who are working based on secret agendas.  Speaking at a press conference held yesterday to update cabinet decisions; Rambukewella noted unfortunately the legal framework of the country does not allow the government to file charges against these journalists […]

Hundreds of journalists representing private and public sector media institutions yesterday launched a massive protest against attempts by the Opposition in connivance with the Free Media Movement (FMM) to tarnish the image of the country at a time when it has won accolades from all parts of the world for restoring peace and democracy in […]