Web pages about "Sri Lanka"

Tens of thousands at risk in Sri Lanka as fighting escalates

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 12:40:15 +0100

The Sri Lankan military and the opposing Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) are putting tens of thousands of displaced civilians at risk as fighting continues in the Wanni area of northern Sri Lanka.

A major concern, as the situation worsens, is that there is little reliable information available from the ground, as journalists are restricted from reporting in the area. Both sides consistently contradict each other. This is why international independent monitors are urgently needed on the ground to assess the situation.

There is no safe haven for the thousands of families trying to escape the aerial bombardment and shelling of Sri Lankan forces as they push towards the town of Kilinochchi. Since May, government aerial bombardment and artillery shelling has forced more than 70,000 people to flee their homes, primarily in the Kilinochchi and Mullaitvu districts.

In the LTTE-controlled areas of the Wanni, the Tigers have hindered thousands of families from moving to safer places by imposing a strict pass system. Some individuals have been forced to stay behind as guarantors, to ensure the return of other family members.

"These people are running out of places to go and basic necessities," said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International’s Sri Lanka researcher. “The Tigers are keeping them in harm’s way and the government is not doing enough to ensure they receive essential assistance.”

Amnesty International has received reports that the government is keeping those who have been able to leave LTTE-controlled areas in temporary shelters that often operate as de facto detention centres.

Witnesses from Kalimoddai camp in Mannar district told the organization that more than 200 families who are held there cannot exit the camp for any reason (except to go to school) without obtaining a pass from the government's security forces.

Despite calls for the displaced to be allowed to move via humanitarian corridors to safer areas where they can receive essential aid and assistance, they are in fact being used as a buffer between the two opposing forces.

Sri Lankan media reported Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, Commander of the Army, ordering his troops in the Wanni area to seal any routes out of the area in order to stop LTTE infiltration. Sealing the border will also prevent civilians from fleeing the conflict zones.

"Both sides to this long conflict have again shown that they will jeopardize the lives of thousands of ordinary people in the pursuit of military objectives,” said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty’s Sri Lanka researcher. “In the absence of independent international monitors, Sri Lankan civilians lack protection and remain at the mercy of two forces with long records of abuse."

The government has given reassurances at the weekend that they will open three safe corridors and that, for the moment, the government is facilitating humanitarian assistance through Omanthai checkpoint - the crossing point between government-controlled territory and the area held by the LTTE. This aid is desperately needed but humanitarian agencies operating in the area have voiced serious concerns that if the conflict continues displaced civilians will face greater hardship.

Amnesty International has established that around a third of the displaced families were forced to live in the open air with no shelter. Many could not receive food, tarpaulin for temporary shelters and fuel because of a lack of access to LTTE-controlled areas and restrictions on goods going through Omanthai. The lack of adequate privacy for women and girls has led to an increase in reports of sexual and gender-based violence.

The displacement of civilians increased dramatically in July, with 14,000 new families made homeless. As of 7 August, government figures indicate that the overall number of displaced people is between 150,000 and 160,000.

Sri Lanka: LTTE, government endangering lives of tens of thousands of newly displaced around Wanni

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 13:40:51 +0100

Thousands of families who fled the recent fighting between Sri Lankan forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) must be allowed to move to safer areas and to receive necessary humanitarian assistance, Amnesty International said today.

“These people are running out of places to go and basic necessities,” said Yolanda Foster, Amnesty International’s Sri Lanka researcher. “The Tigers are keeping them in harm’s way and the government is not doing enough to ensure they receive essential assistance.”

Government aerial bombardment and artillery shelling since May has forced more than 70,000 people to flee their homes, primarily in Kilinochchi and Mulaitivu districts.

Amnesty International has established that around a third of these families are living in the open air with no shelter. Many cannot receive food, tarpaulin for temporary shelters and fuel because of a lack of access into LTTE-controlled areas and restrictions on goods going through Omanthai - the crossing point between government-controlled territory and that held by the LTTE. Some families have been forced to move several times.

In the LTTE-controlled Wanni area, the Tigers have hindered thousands of families from moving to safer places by imposing a strict pass system and, in some instances, forcing some family members to stay behind to ensure the return of the rest of the family. These measures seem designed in part to use civilians as a buffer against government forces -- a serious violation of international humanitarian law. The LTTE has also engaged in forced recruitment.

Lack of cement to build adequate toilets and washrooms has forced people to use open bathing facilities. The lack of adequate privacy for women and girls has led to a notable increase in reports of sexual and gender based violence.

Amnesty International has also received reports that the government is housing those who have been able to leave LTTE areas in temporary shelters that often operate as de facto detention centres. Witnesses from Kalimoddai camp in Mannar district told Amnesty International that more than 200 families who are held there cannot exit the camp for any reason (except to go to school) without obtaining a pass from the government’s security forces.

“Both sides to this long conflict have again shown that they will jeopardize the lives of thousands of ordinary people in the pursuit of military objectives,” said Yolanda Foster. “In the absence of independent international monitors, Sri Lankan civilians lack protection and remain at the mercy of two forces with long records of abuse.”

Background
The Sri Lankan military has launched a major offensive to reclaim areas of the north and east previously controlled by the LTTE. Families have been multiply displaced. According to UNHCR, as of 30 June, there are some 467,000 individuals displaced by conflict in Sri Lanka’s north and east. This figure includes an estimated 194,900 persons who were displaced after fighting intensified in April 2006.

Sri Lanka: Civilians continue to face deadly daily threat

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 14:26:53 +0100

Amnesty International today condemned the targeting of civilians in the ongoing conflict in Sri Lanka.

At least two women and a 12 year old child died today when unidentified gunmen fired at a bus. Another person also died in the ambush. Around 26 others were injured in the attack, which took place in Buttala, south east of the capital, Colombo.

The defence ministry has said that Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) gunmen were responsible. The LTTE has not commented on the attack. In January, 26 people died in another bus attack in the same area.

"These indiscriminate attacks are brutal. The victims are overwhelmingly people who are trying to go about their everyday lives, living in fear of attacks at any time, with the added untold suffering this brings to their relatives. The total disregard for the safety of civilians is completely indefensible," said Amnesty International.

The organization called upon all parties to the conflict - - the LTTE, the government security forces and other armed groups - - to abide by international law. All combatants in Sri Lanka are bound by the provisions of Article 3 Common to the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, which applies to non-international armed conflicts.

"It is time that all parties put human rights at the heart of their policies and end the terrible uncertainty for civilians in conflict-affected areas, and for those who are targeted in reprisal attacks in the south," said Amnesty International.

Stronger witness protection needed to ensure accountability for war crimes

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:48:57 +0100

Amnesty International yesterday expressed disappointment at the deportation from the UK of Sri Lankan national Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, known as Karuna, who is alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka. He was deported following his conviction on immigration charges.

"The deportation of Karuna now means that the investigation by the UK authorities into these allegations has come to an end. Karuna is entitled to be presumed innocent, until and unless guilt can be proved beyond reasonable doubt in a fair trial. We will, however, be writing to the authorities of Sri Lanka to ask for an investigation to be started there into these allegations," said Amnesty International.

"We are also concerned that the investigation collapsed because the UK government did not dedicate the necessary resources to it and did not sufficiently reassure the victims or their relatives of their safety under a witness protection programme."

A number of non-governmental organizations had presented information to the Metropolitan Police (London's police force) relating to grave allegations of human rights abuses committed by Karuna. These included statements by victims and witnesses, and names of witnesses who were prepared to provide relevant details about Karuna’s alleged responsibility for or involvement in Sri Lanka in incidents of torture, hostage-taking, and the recruitment and use of children as soldiers in combat.

Amnesty International had also received testimonies from potential witnesses, but they were unwilling to testify or present their testimonies to the Metropolitan Police for fear of reprisals in the UK and in Sri Lanka. The organization is aware of at least one witness in Sri Lanka who provided information to the Metropolitan Police and who is still in Sri Lanka, without having been given any protection in that country, or having been given the choice of being relocated elsewhere. Amnesty International is concerned that this witness may now face a real risk of reprisals for having given information to the police investigation into Karuna.

“We have expressed our concerns to the Metropolitan Police that not enough may have been done to protect witnesses, and reassure potential witnesses, as they conducted their investigation. We would like to see the UK authorities introduce new measures in the future to try war criminals and protect witnesses,” said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International calls on the UK authorities to establish effective witness protection programmes for investigations into allegations such as these, modelled on the witness protection programmes of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court. The organization also calls on the UK authorities to set up an independent and specialized police and prosecution unit with sufficient resources to deal with crimes against humanity, torture and war crimes.

Background
Karuna was a prominent leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an armed opposition group fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka. He left the LTTE to set up his own splinter group, the Tamileel Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, or People's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (TMVP), which also has a political wing. Since March 2004, the group appears to have been operating with the support of the Sri Lankan Army to challenge the LTTE in eastern Sri Lanka.

He was residing in the United Kingdom when he was taken into custody and charged by UK authorities in November 2007 in relation to immigration offences, for which he was subsequently convicted.

Although the allegations against Karuna relate to actions in Sri Lanka, the courts in the UK could have exercised jurisdiction over a number of the offences he is alleged to have committed:

over acts of torture committed since March 2004 (the date when Karuna became allied with government forces), in violation of Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988; courts in the UK can try any individual for this offence if committed by, or with the consent or acquiescence of, a public official or person acting in an official capacity, no matter what the nationality of the perpetrator or where the alleged offence was committed: it is an offence of so-called ‘universal jurisdiction’;
acts of hostage taking committed since 1982, in violation of Section 1 (1) of the Taking of Hostages Act 1982: again, this is an offence of universal jurisdiction, for which the courts in the UK can try someone of any nationality, no matter where the offence was committed;
war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since September 2001, in violation of the International Criminal Court Act 2001: by virtue of s.51(2)(b) of that Act, the courts in the UK can try someone for a war crime or crime against humanity committed outside the UK, provided that the person is either a UK national, a UK resident or a person subject to UK service jurisdiction, such as serving members of the UK armed forces. To the best of Amnesty International's knowledge, Karuna was resident in the UK, for the purposes of this Act, at the time of his arrest in November 2007.

Amnesty International wrote to the Metropolitan Police raising concerns about the investigation on 14 May and again on 4 June 2008 but has not yet received any replies to these letters.

UK: Stronger witness protection needed to ensure accountability for war crimes

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:33:44 +0100

Amnesty International today expressed disappointment at the deportation from the UK of Sri Lankan national Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, known as Karuna, who is alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity in Sri Lanka. He was deported following his conviction on immigration charges.

"The deportation of Karuna now means that the investigation by the UK authorities into these allegations has come to an end. Karuna is entitled to be presumed innocent, until and unless guilt can be proved beyond reasonable doubt in a fair trial. We will, however, be writing to the authorities of Sri Lanka to ask for an investigation to be started there into these allegations," said Amnesty International.

"We are also concerned that the investigation collapsed because the UK government did not dedicate the necessary resources to it and did not sufficiently reassure the victims or their relatives of their safety under a witness protection programme."

A number of non-governmental organizations had presented information to the Metropolitan Police (London's police force) relating to grave allegations of human rights abuses committed by Karuna. These included statements by victims and witnesses, and names of witnesses who were prepared to provide relevant details about Karuna’s alleged responsibility for or involvement in Sri Lanka in incidents of torture, hostage-taking, and the recruitment and use of children as soldiers in combat.

Amnesty International had also received testimonies from potential witnesses, but they were unwilling to testify or present their testimonies to the Metropolitan Police for fear of reprisals in the UK and in Sri Lanka. The organization is aware of at least one witness in Sri Lanka who provided information to the Metropolitan Police and who is still in Sri Lanka, without having been given any protection in that country, or having been given the choice of being relocated elsewhere. Amnesty International is concerned that this witness may now face a real risk of reprisals for having given information to the police investigation into Karuna.

“We have expressed our concerns to the Metropolitan Police that not enough may have been done to protect witnesses, and reassure potential witnesses, as they conducted their investigation. We would like to see the UK authorities introduce new measures in the future to try war criminals and protect witnesses,” said Amnesty International.

Amnesty International calls on the UK authorities to establish effective witness protection programmes for investigations into allegations such as these, modelled on the witness protection programmes of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, the Special Court for Sierra Leone and the International Criminal Court. The organization also calls on the UK authorities to set up an independent and specialized police and prosecution unit with sufficient resources to deal with crimes against humanity, torture and war crimes.

Background
Karuna was a prominent leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), an armed opposition group fighting for an independent Tamil homeland in Sri Lanka. He left the LTTE to set up his own splinter group, the Tamileel Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal, or People's Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (TMVP), which also has a political wing. Since March 2004, the group appears to have been operating with the support of the Sri Lankan Army to challenge the LTTE in eastern Sri Lanka.

He was residing in the United Kingdom when he was taken into custody and charged by UK authorities in November 2007 in relation to immigration offences, for which he was subsequently convicted.

Although the allegations against Karuna relate to actions in Sri Lanka, the courts in the UK could have exercised jurisdiction over a number of the offences he is alleged to have committed:

over acts of torture committed since March 2004 (the date when Karuna became allied with government forces), in violation of Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988; courts in the UK can try any individual for this offence if committed by, or with the consent or acquiescence of, a public official or person acting in an official capacity, no matter what the nationality of the perpetrator or where the alleged offence was committed: it is an offence of so-called ‘universal jurisdiction’;
acts of hostage taking committed since 1982, in violation of Section 1 (1) of the Taking of Hostages Act 1982: again, this is an offence of universal jurisdiction, for which the courts in the UK can try someone of any nationality, no matter where the offence was committed;
war crimes and crimes against humanity committed since September 2001, in violation of the International Criminal Court Act 2001: by virtue of s.51(2)(b) of that Act, the courts in the UK can try someone for a war crime or crime against humanity committed outside the UK, provided that the person is either a UK national, a UK resident or a person subject to UK service jurisdiction, such as serving members of the UK armed forces. To the best of Amnesty International's knowledge, Karuna was resident in the UK, for the purposes of this Act, at the time of his arrest in November 2007.

Amnesty International wrote to the Metropolitan Police raising concerns about the investigation on 14 May and again on 4 June 2008 but has not yet received any replies to these letters.

ENDS/

Public Document
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For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK
www.amnesty.org

Human rights abuses in Sri Lanka flourish under veil of secrecy

Fri, 02 May 2008 18:22:04 +0100

Ensuring respect for human rights around the world very often relies on impartial and rigorous media coverage – without exposure and public scrutiny abuses can flourish under a veil of secrecy and denial.

The importance of the media in conflict situations cannot be overstated, without reports, pictures and film of the fighting and the violence, no-one knows enough to put the pressure on the participants to ensure human rights are respected.

This need is particularly strong in Sri Lanka, where fatalities on all sides are believed to be very high with large numbers of civilians caught in the crossfire. All parties to the conflict are responsible for grave violations of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian law.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has expressed concern that "since the start of the year civilian casualties had gone up as the number of indiscriminate attacks had grown in the north, east and south of the country."

Despite the gravity of the human cost of war, Sri Lanka is a conflict where journalists face unjustified restrictions on reporting and there are very few established facts. In fact, both sides consistently contradict each other.

The conflict in Sri Lanka is between government forces, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and armed Tamil groups alleged to be aligned with the government. Sri Lanka, as Amnesty International reported in its February report Silencing Dissent, is a country where media coverage of war has effectively been silenced – through threats, restrictions and violence.

The conflict in the north and east of Sri Lanka has continued to escalate since the ending of the ceasefire agreement on 16 January 2008. The withdrawal of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission responsible for monitoring the implementation of the 2002 ceasefire agreement means that there is a vacuum of independent reporting of human rights violations. This makes it more urgent that journalists are allowed to report without undue restrictions and document human rights abuses on the ground.

Yet journalists are often barred from conflict areas. The LTTE does not allow independent reporting in the areas under its control, while the government masks the cost of the war.

According to the Free Media Movement, a Colombo-based media watchdog, Government of Sri Lanka officials have barred photographers in the past week from entering hospitals in Colombo where Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers injured in battle in late April are being treated.

According to the International Federation of Journalists, 25 journalists from the minority Tamil community had fled the Jaffna peninsula where government forces are battling Tamil Tiger rebels.

It is two years since support staff Suresh Kumar and Rajiv Kumar were gunned down at the Jaffna-based Uthayan newspaper office on 2 May 2006. The newspaper has come under severe attack because of its alleged Tamil nationalist stance. Seven media workers have been killed in Jaffna since the beginning of May 2006, four of these working with Uthayan.

Gunmen on motorcycles attacked the office and killed the two workers in the absence of the journalists the gunmen were apparently looking for. The killers still walk free.

"Publishing our daily newspaper in Jaffna is an increasingly Herculean and dangerous task with armed gunmen who continuously threaten our work and our lives," said the editor of Uthayan.

To date, the organisation is unaware of any investigation that has led to the arrest and prosecution of those believed responsible for the killing of journalists and other media workers.

In another incident, journalist Jayaprakash Sittampalam Tissainayagam was arrested on 7 March and has been held in the Terrorist Investigation Division Detention centre in Colombo since. The authorities have claimed that he is held on suspicion of involvement with the LTTE, although he has not been charged with any offence.

Amnesty International has said that his detention is arbitrary. He is at risk of going blind if he does not receive specialist treatment for a serious eye condition.

In all, at least 10 media workers have been unlawfully killed in Sri Lanka since the beginning of 2006. Others have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and allegedly disappeared while in the custody of security forces.

For Press Freedom Day 2008, Amnesty International has urged the Sri Lankan government to protect media workers and their rights to life, liberty and security of person, in compliance with Sri Lanka’s obligations under international law.

The organization has also called on the government to respect media workers and publicly announce that killings, threats, or other attacks will not be tolerated and to investigate all cases of attacks, disappearances and killings of media workers promptly, independently, impartially and effectively, irrespective of the identity of perpetrators or victims.

The organisation is also calling on the LTTE to issue instructions to all its members to cease all killings, threats or other attacks on media workers. All parties to the conflict must stop targeting journalists.

Sri Lanka: Make human rights the priority

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 18:19:59 +0000

Amnesty International today called on the Sri Lanka government to make human rights the priority by allowing the organisation into the country to make an impartial assessment of its and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) human rights record, following accusations from Defence spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella that the organisation was biased against the government.

“Amnesty International’s role is to monitor and report on human rights abuses by all parties to the conflict. The organisation has repeatedly requested that the government should facilitate this role by allowing us access to the country,” said Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International.

Amnesty International also rejected claims by the Defence spokesman that it had failed “to utter a single word’ against recent bomb attacks. In the last month alone the organisation made several statements condemning the targeting of civilians including one on 4th February 2008 entitled: Sri Lanka: Right to life of civilians disregarded as conflict intensifies.

“The situation in Sri Lanka has deteriorated and both the government and the LTTE stand accused of serious human rights abuses. All parties should immediately stop targeting civilians and uphold their commitments to international human rights law,” she said.

The rule of law continues to be undermined and the culture of impunity persists. The government must make protection of human rights the top priority. Instead, human rights defenders have also been increasingly attacked or threatened. At such a time attacking the messenger distracts from the overriding responsibility for serious action to address the problem.

More details:

Amnesty International’s statement of 4th February.

Public Document
****************************************
For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 or email: press@amnesty.org
International Secretariat, Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW, UK
www.amnesty.org

Call for the protection of Sri Lankan media workers

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 14:23:26 +0000

Since the resumption of armed conflict in Sri Lanka in 2006, threats to the media and media freedom have become very serious.

At least 10 media workers have been unlawfully killed since the beginning of 2006 (including journalist Subramaniyam Sugirdharajan, pictured right). Another has allegedly disappeared in the custody of the security forces, while others have been tortured and arbitrarily detained under emergency regulations granting the government sweeping powers.

Attempts to censor the media have increased with the collapse of the ceasefire between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The 2002 truce formally ended on 16 January 2008, following a unanimous cabinet vote.

The escalation in hostilities has inevitably led to increased human rights violations by all parties to the conflict and reduced protection for civilians including media professionals. Newspapers have been closed down, employees intimidated and attacked, and a website has been blocked.

In some cases attacks have been carried out by Tamil armed groups, apparently acting with the consent of the security forces. Amnesty International is unaware of any investigation that has led to the arrest and prosecution of those believed to be responsible for the killing of journalists and other media workers, including cases dating back to 1990.

On 27 December 2007, Labour Minister Mervyn Silva and his aides entered the offices of the Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, where the Minister reportedly assaulted the news director, T.M.G. Chandrasekara.

The Minister was angered by the corporation’s decision not to telecast his speech at a rally in Matara, attended by President Mahinda Rajapaksa. The speech contained a number of indecent remarks. Employees at Rupavahini took the Minister hostage for nearly three hours after the alleged assault, demanding an apology.

A number of journalists in Sri Lanka have since received credible information that armed gangs have been ordered to threaten, harass and even kill them for their involvement in protests held in response to the behaviour of Labour Minister Mervyn Silva.

The official radio station of the LTTE, Voice of Tigers, in the northern province of Vanni, was bombed on 27 November 2007 by the Sri Lanka Air Force. Nine people were killed in the attack, which seriously injured 10 others. The attack coincided with the station’s broadcast of LTTE War Heroes’ Day celebrations.

On 20 November 2007, the Leader publications office was attacked by an armed group. Police said the masked men had forced employees to kneel down while they poured petrol on the printing presses and set them on fire.

Staff at the Jaffna-based Uthayan newspaper have also come under attack from military and paramilitary groups, resulting in four deaths. Vadivel Nirmalarajan, a proofreader with the paper, has been reported missing since 17 November in what appears to be an enforced disappearance. Other newspapers where killings have taken place include Yal Thinakkural and Sudar Oli.

Read more
Sri Lanka: Silencing Dissent (Report, 7 February 2008)

Sri Lanka: Silencing Dissent

Thu, 07 Feb 2008 10:12:58 +0000

As hostilities in Sri Lanka intensify and human rights abuses increase, threats to the media and media freedoms inside the country have increased dramatically, says a new Amnesty International report, Silencing Dissent, published today.

The organisation has found that since the beginning of 2006 at least ten media workers have been the victims of unlawful killings; at least two have disappeared; while others have been tortured and arbitrarily detained under emergency regulations (ERs) granting the government sweeping powers.

The report also shows that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) does not allow any independent local media in the territories it controls, and closely monitors and restricts the work of journalists. On occasion, the LTTE has also targeted journalists in other parts of the country.

“Investigations have stalled and no one has been brought to justice for the deaths of media workers including cases dating back to 1990. Amnesty International calls on the Sri Lankan authorities to bring the people responsible to justice and end immediately the impunity with which the security forces carry out their intimidation of the media,” said Pia Oberoi, deputy director of Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific programme.

“Clamping down on media freedoms corrodes free speech, strangles debate, and prevents a true assessment of human rights abuses taking place. Amnesty International condemns the government’s campaign of intimidation against the media, and calls on it to respect and protect the freedom of the media to work without fear.

Journalists have also been targeted in the South, particularly those covering corruption issues. On 16 August 2007 the personal security provided by the government to veteran journalist Iqbal Athas was removed. Athas had been given police protection after being repeatedly threatened by members of the security forces who were angered by his coverage of arms deals.

The organisation also called on the LTTE to end its policy of intimidation of and crackdown against the media in the areas it controls.

The Karuna faction, a splinter group of the LTTE reportedly acting with the consent of the government forces, is also reported to have harassed media and stopped the distribution of Sudar Oli and Thinnakkural in Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Ampara Districts (in the east) since at least January 2007.

In addition, there are increasing reports of intimidation of artists, including actors, writers and filmmakers. One film maker commenting on the banning of Asoka Handagama’s film Aksharaya (Letter of Fire) says the government is trying to ban the film as part of a general drive “to stop political and socially sensitive cinema”.
“Frequent attacks on journalists and a climate of impunity are turning Sri Lanka into an Orwellian state where critical voices are stifled” said Oberoi.

Amnesty International calls on Sri Lanka authorities and the LTTE to:

•        Respect and protect the rights to life, liberty and security of media workers in compliance with Sri Lanka’s obligations under international law
•        Declare unequivocally that killings, threats, or other attacks on media workers will not be tolerated
•        Ensure that all cases of attacks on media workers, irrespective of the identity of perpetrators or victims, are promptly, independently, impartially and effectively investigated.
•        Respect and ensure respect for the right to freedom of opinion and expression, in compliance with Sri Lanka’s obligations under the ICCPR and other international treaties and standards.

Sri Lanka: Silencing Dissent (Report, 7 February 2008)

Journalists in danger in Sri Lanka

Tue, 05 Feb 2008 18:16:26 +0000

A number of journalists in Sri Lanka have received death threats in the wake of knife attacks on two journalists in the past eleven days. Lal Hemantha Mawalage, a leading news producer with the state-run Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation (SLRC), was stabbed in the southern city of Athurugiriya on the night of Friday 25 January.

Four days later, the Colombo-based Free Media Movement reported that five persons entered the Colombo home of Suhaib M Kasim, the associate editor of the Sri Lankan state-owned Tamil daily Thinakaran. They forcibly took him to his veranda and stabbed him in his abdomen.

Since the attack, another SLRC staff-member has reported to the police that he was threatened at gun point. Duleep Sanjeewa told police in Kollupitiya in Colombo that two armed men threatened him with death at his home at the end of January.

Police in Colombo are investigating an incident where a car and a motorcycle followed a Ravaya newspaper journalist on the night of Tuesday, 29 January. Lasantha Ruhunage complained to the police that he was followed on his way home from work.

The threats come against a background of increased conflict in Sri Lanka following the collapse of the ceasefire between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). A bomb attack in Welioya, 120 miles north of Colombo on 4 February killed 12 civilians and wounded 17 others.

This attack is the latest in a long line that have targeted and killed civilians. On 3 February, at least 11 people were killed in a suicide attack at the main railway station in Colombo, while on 1 February a bomb on a bus killed 20 people, mostly Buddhist pilgrims, en-route to Anuradhapura.

On 29 January, a claymore mine attack on a bus in Mannar District killed 11 schoolchildren.
Official censorship and self-censorship are fuelling a dangerous cycle of rumours and misinformation. In the absence of independent monitors in the north and east, it is impossible to verify or refute claims or abuses from both sides to the conflict who blame each other.

Journalists in Sri Lanka play an important role in reporting on the conflict and exposing human rights violations that have occurred. Journalists in the South of the country also play an important role exposing corruption among politicians and the military.

"Independent reporting on what is happening in Sri Lanka is vital whether this is covering abuses within the worsening conflict or exposing issues of corruption and abuse of power," said Tim Parritt, Deputy Director of Asia Pacific. "Increasingly frequent attacks on journalists and a climate of impunity for the perpetrators are a matter of serious concern."