Freedom of expression

This week’s Lanka newspaper,  published by the rebel faction of the JVP has been seized by the Mt Lavina police. A spokesman for the group said that the motive appeared to be delaying the distribution of the paper, JVP (DNA) MP Vijitha Herath said that since there was a dispute over the publication they had lodged […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that Mr. Krishan Jeewaka Jayaruk of Matara District is the regional news reporter of the Sinhala medium ‘Lankadeepa’ and English medium ‘Daily Mirror’ news papers, both are the of the most widely circulated newspapers in the island. On 1 September 2011 he received death threats from […]

A list of false allegations and attacks on Sri Lankan HRD, Mr. Sunanda Deshapriya due to his participation in the 18th session of United Nations Human Rights Council in Sept. 2011 by media controlled by and sympathetic to the Sri Lankan government Title: Two traitors has crept in to Geneva council 13th Sept. 2011: Dinamina, […]

FMM condemns false allegations against press freedom and human rights activists The Free Media Movement (FMM) expresses its serious concern on the false allegations being carried out by the media controlled by and sympathetic to the Sri Lankan government against a former Convener and a present Ex-Co Member of the Free Media Movement. According to […]

”This false reporting has led to a major media campaign against Mr. Sunanda Deshapriya and his close family still residing in Sri Lanka. As IMADR we call for urgent attention of the Human Rights Council on this matter and call for an immediate stop to such misleading reporting. Indeed, Madam Chairperson, it also shows that […]

Saman Indrajith The JVP’s intraparty dispute took a turn for the worse yesterday with the dissidents, known as the Premkumar Gunaratnam group, resorting to violence against the loyalists of JVP leader Somawansa Amerasinghe. The Gunaratnam group set upon one of Amarasinghe’s loyalists yesterday at a JVP safe house in Madiwela injuring him badly. The victim, Kamalaratne […]

The circulation of Irida Lanka news paper was stopped by Grandpass Police after JVP’s mayoral candidate for the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC) Sunil Watagala two other directors of the Lanka Fast Publishers lodged a complaint. The directors came to the Lakbima News Papers premises where the papers are handed to the outstation circulation with the […]

The situation of the freedom of expression in the country is in peril, the Asian Human Rights Commission warns, pointing to the recent assault of VFM managing director Ruwan Sugathadasa. The AHRC says in a statement that the government has shown no interest in prosecuting the alleged perpetrators of the incident.“The situation of the freedom […]

NfR – Net working for rights in Sri lanka – Exile network for media and human rights in Sri LankaPress release/ 15 September 2011NfR Sri Lanka, a network of Sri Lankan journalists and human rights defenders living outside the country, condemns the falsification of the proceedings of a side event organized by Sri Lankan Mission […]

The Maldivian government is yet to respond to an incident that had reportedly taken place four days ago at the side event during the UN Human Rights Council sessions, involving the Maldives president and exiled Sri Lankan journalist Sunanda Deshapriya.Mr. Deshapriya has said, that government and pro-government media in Colombo had reported that president Mohamed […]

Charles HavilandThe demolition has been denounced by both Muslims and Sinhalese. A group of Buddhist monks in Sri Lanka led a crowd that demolished a Muslim shrine last week, the BBC has learned. This incident took place on Saturday in Anuradhapura, an ancient Buddhist city and Unesco world heritage site. The monk who led the […]

Mr. Sunanada with President Mohammad Our Correspondent in Geneva “In the news bulletins of the government and pro-government media it was reported that Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed accused me of being a disgrace to the country in answering a question by me after the screening of the film in Geneva recently. I never asked any […]

The organizers of the agitation by the Inter Company Employees Union (ICEU) held on the 30th of August against the failure of the authorities to take action against those who were responsible for the killing of Roshan Chanake are being threatened by thugs say reports. Roshan Chanaka was killed by police shooting at a demonstration […]

Two persons betraying the country’s interests are involved in organizing pro-LTTE groups against Sri Lanka on the sidelines of the UNHCR sessions; the ‘Dinamina’ has reported today (Sep. 13).One is said to be a former leading light of the Free Media Movement and the other, a prominent figure of the main Opposition party with medical […]

Mr. Dharshana Medis, who had been invited to make the keynote address at the ‘Godage National Literature Festival’ held at J.R. Jayawardene Center in Colombo on the 7th boycotted the festival and abstained from making the keynote address when he suddenly realized the ‘festival’ was being held with the official participation of the government machinery.Mr. […]

At the 2009 CHOGM, Sri Lanka’s candidature for hosting the meeting was deferred from 2011 to 2013 because of concerns about human rights abuses by the Sri Lankan government. While war-time abuses have ended, the situation in Sri Lanka continues to be characterised by serious human rights violations, including assault on democratic institutions, such as […]

A top executive with an independent private radio station was hospitilised after he was severely beaten up by a three-member gang close to his residence at Boralesgamuwa a short while ago.According to police three unknown persons had assaulted Ruwan Sugathadasa-Managing Director of V-FM while he was returning home shortly after dusk today. They said the […]

Olindhi JayasundereThe present censorship on the telecasting of television programmes showing the use of alcohol or cigarettes will be removed and instead from Thursday a complete ban will be imposed on the telecasting of such programmes, the National Authority on Tobacco and Alcohol said yesterday.These new rules will be introduced in accordance with the provisions […]

Chitra WeerarathneTwo employees of Nortel Lanka Private Limited, Katunayake, had filed a fundamental rights violation application, in the Supreme Court, alleging assault, illegal arrest, illegal detention and denial of their freedom of expression by officers of the Seeduwa and Katunayake police.They had alleged that they, along with their colleagues, protested against the intention of the […]

The JVP claims that two of its activists have been arrested while they were pasting a poster to target the local government polls. They were arrested by police at Attidiya in Dehiwala in the early hours of this morning (Aug. 24) accusing them of pasting anti-government posters, said its propaganda secretary Vijitha Herath. The poster in question […]

More than 200 media workers, politicians and activists from North and South joined hands at Jaffna Bus Station staging a protest Tuesday from 11:00 a.m. till noon against the brutal assault last month on Gnanasundaram Kuganathan, the chief news editor of Uthayan daily in Jaffna and against the prevailing suppression of freedom of expression in […]

Representatives of six media groups in the South left for Jaffna this morning (Aug. 15) to hold a protest to condemn the assault of ‘Udayan’ news editor Gnanasundaram Kuhanathan.  Led by the Free Media Movement, these media groups will hold an agitation and signature collection for a petition against the government in Jaffna town tomorrow. […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has demanded justice for journalist Nilupa Sanjaya Liyanagehewa, who had been assaulted by police. In a statement, the AHRC says it has received information that Mr. Liyanagehewa of Neth FM, one of the Sri Lanka’s leading electronic media institutions, was assaulted by a group of 15 police officers attached to the […]

Professor Ratnajeevan Hoole, the unsuccessful candidate for the post of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Jaffna supported by a section of pro-Rajapaksa elements, had to flee Jaffna as well as the island in the wake of a defamation case filed by SL minister Douglas Devananda in the Kayts court, news sources in Jaffna said adding […]

PRESS RELEASE/9th August 2011Weeks after local government elections in Jaffna we remain concerned about the state of democracy, protection of human rights, and the political polarisation that troubles the North in particular and the entire country in general.  We unequivocally condemn the brutal assault on Gnanasundaram Kuhanathan, news editor of the Tamil-language daily Uthayan on […]

Sara Nics   “If you are not with the government, you become an instant traitor to the country. They said I should be killed; very clearly, they said I should be killed.” In his 30-year career as a reporter and editor in Sri Lanka, Sunanda Deshapriya says he was non-political, but his reporting on the 25-year […]

Uthayan News Editor, Gkanasundaram Kuganathan, is not the first of his kind to end up on a hospital bed — nor will he be the last. Like his predecessors who had to go beyond the boundaries of hospitals and into their graves, and even go missing without a trace, Mr. Kuganathan would soon be just […]

Susitha R. Fernando The newly appointed Law Commission which was appointed after a one and a half years delay is to give priority to some vital and controversial laws including the Freedom of Information Act, a senior Law Commission official said. Law Commission Secretary Ms. Lakshmi Gunasekera said 12 important draft laws including the Freedom […]

The National Trade Union Center (NTUC) has organzied a unique poster campaign today (8) demanding a Rs. 10,000 salary increase for the working masses. The NTUC has organized the poster campaign on a human wall as a mark of protest against the removal of posters demanding a salary increase by the police. The poster campaign on […]

In an interview with ‘Lanka’ newspaper Media Minister, Mr Keheliya Rambukwella has said that the continuous assaults on media men are only minor incidents. The following are the excerpts of the interview with the questions and answers given by the Minister:‘What were the steps taken by you as the Media Minister on the assault on ‘Udayan’ […]