Sri Lanka
Since 2005 the conditions of violence and impunity has made life increasingly dangerous for media practitioners in Sri Lanka. In response to this situation, IMS is seeking to help provide rapid response to journalists at risk. In October 2006 and June 2007, IMS coordinated international advocacy and safety missions to Sri Lanka to bring international attention to the situation in the country, as well as to support the national media community.Archive
- Open letter to SG Ban Ki-moon about Prageeth Eknaligoda
- Call for UN to help find missing Sri Lankan journalist
- Where is Prageeth?
- IFJ Sri Lanka Mission Report : "Key challenges for media after war's end" - English version
- Tamil version of IFJ Mission report: "Key challenges for media after war's end"
- Sinhala version of IFJ Sri Lanka mission report: "Key challenges for media after war's end"
- Media abuse debated in Sri Lanka election campaign
- Sri Lankan media in downhill spiral
- Open letter to the President of Sri Lanka
- "A war without witness"
- Sunanda Deshapriya's Speech in Lasantha's memory
- UNESCO speech WPF Prize 2009
- Tissa Statement Intl. Press Mission to Sri lanka, 6 Mar. 2009
- International call for justice for jailed Sri Lankan Journalist
- Press release, 21 January 2009 from the International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka
- Worsening conditions in Sri Lanka
- Media under fire: Press freedom lockdown in Sri Lanka
- Statement of the International Mission to Sri Lanka, 29 Oct. 2008
- Working with IMS - the case of Sri Lanka
- Violence against media in Sri Lanka on the rise
- Jaffna's media in the grip of terror, fact-finding report of International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka, 6 August 2007
- Statement of the International Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression Mission to Sri Lanka, 22 june 2007
- Ampara Eastern Sri Lanka Report, June 2007
- Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka: Struggle for survival, 2007
- Mission Statement, International Fact-finding and Advocacy Mission to Sri Lanka, 11 October 2006
- Study of media in the North-east of Sri Lanka, 2003
- Assessment mission on IMS engagement in Sri Lanka in support of the Ceasefire process, June 2002
Sri Lankan media in downhill spiral
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More than 300 participants gathered in London on 29 September to discuss the plight of Tamils in Sri Lanka and the role of human rights and press freedom groups in the country
The meeting, entitled ‘Sri Lanka: Accountability for Violations of Human Rights/ Humanitarian Law and Peace Building’, was organized by a group called the Tamil Legal Advocacy Project (TLAP) and brought together organisations such as Amnesty International, the Bar Human Rights Committee of England and Wales and International Media Support (IMS) to discuss human rights violations in the country.
Vilification of independent media
Speaking about the media’s situation in the country, Deputy Director of IMS Thomas Hughes described the downhill spiral of press freedom and security of journalists in the country marred by civil war in the past 25 years.
- The last two years has seen repeated instances of elected government representatives using violence against independent media institutions and journalists. State-owned media have also contributed to the vilification of independent media. Most attacks on press freedom were originally against the Tamil language media, but this has now spread to include Sinhala media, he said.
Seeking justice for media in Sri Lanka
Press freedom and freedom of expression has deteriorated considerably since the beginning of 2009 in Sri Lanka. At least eleven media practitioners have been murdered or disappeared in the last two years and there have been numerous death threats including violent attemps to stop distribution of newspapers.
IMS has been involved with media in Sri Lanka since 2002 helping to strengthen the media’s role in resolving conflict and supporting those defending press freedom. IMS has also been instrumental in forming a coalition of international media and press freedom organisations working together to push the press freedom agenda with national authorities and addressing the safety of individual journalists.
In July 2009, the International Press Freedom Mission to Sri Lanka comprised of representatives from the world's media community sent an open letter to the President of Sri Lanka voicing their concerns about the deteriorating conditions for media in Sri Lanka and amongst other things urging the government to address the attacks on journalists and freedom of expression.
- The lack of a vibrant public debate through the media calls into question the very foundations of democracy. This together with a politicised judiciary and powerful security forces, places the country’s democracy in significant peril, Thomas Hughes said.
Listen to Thomas Hughes' speech here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7p4LGbfi6ZI&feature=player_embedded
For more information about IMS in Sri Lanka, click here.
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