Civil groups urge new Sri Lanka president to uphold press freedom

The Committee to Shield Journalists (CPJ), together with 24 civil society organizations, referred to as on newly elected Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to prioritize press freedom in his administration. The teams, in a letter addressed to the president, highlighted pressing measures to handle many years of violence, intimidation, and authorized repression confronted by journalists in Sri Lanka.

The organizations urged the federal government to handle impunity for crimes towards journalists, together with homicide and abductions, significantly these dedicated throughout the 26-year civil battle within the nation. They confused the significance of reopening or initiating investigations, together with high-profile instances just like the 2009 homicide of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge and the 2010 disappearance of cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda. The teams referred to as for adherence to worldwide investigative requirements, such because the UN Minnesota Protocol.

One other vital demand is the repeal of repressive laws just like the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and the On-line Security Act, which critics say have been misused to focus on important journalists, particularly these from Tamil and Muslim minorities. RSF described the PTA as a device of intimidation and censorship, whereas the On-line Security Act, handed in early 2024, has been criticized for enabling disproportionate restrictions on freedom of expression.

The letter additionally proposed structural reforms to make sure media independence, together with the institution of a self-regulatory media fee and better editorial autonomy for state-funded media. Moreover, the teams sought amendments to the Parliamentary (Powers and Privileges) Act and the Private Information Safety Act to boost transparency and shield journalists’ rights.

Célia Mercier, head of RSF’s South Asia Desk, emphasised the urgency of those measures. “Sri Lanka is in a worrying scenario that requires pressing actions to make sure journalists can work freely and safely,” she stated.

President Dissanayake, elected on September 21, 2024, leads a nation that ranks a hundred and fiftieth out of 180 nations within the 2024 World Press Freedom Index revealed by Reporters With out Borders (RSF). The letter praised the manifesto commitments of the president’s Nationwide Folks’s Energy (NPP) coalition to advertise free media and accountability for previous crimes however emphasised the urgent want for motion.