FCA and CPJ condemn intimidation of journalists in Sri Lanka

The Foreign Correspondents’ Association of Sri Lanka (FCA) has expressed deep concern with regard to a campaign of intimidation directed against the journalists who contributed to a recent New York Times report on corruption in the island.

“We are disturbed that several members of parliament have publicly vilified the authors of the report without utilising established channels to redress any grievances arising from the impugned report,” it said issuing a statement.

The FCA, a professional body representing Colombo-based foreign media, appealed to all parties to take up any issue resulting from the publication of the report with the editors concerned as is the norm. 

“We also urge the government of Sri Lanka to ensure the safety and security of all journalists in Sri Lanka, including colleagues visiting the island on reporting assignments.”

Meanwhile the Committee to Protect Journalists also called on opposition politicians in Sri Lanka to stop trying to intimidate local journalists by publicly leveling accusations against them. 

At a press conference on Monday evening, politicians allied with former President Mahinda Rajapaksa accused two journalists for The New York Times of being tools of the current government, the Times reported.

Rajapaksa on July 1 issued a statement disputing the findings of a June 25 New York Times investigative report alleging, among other points, that Chinese funds had flowed into Rajapaksa’s failed 2015 presidential campaign. The Times’ New Delhi-based South Asia correspondent, Maria Abi-Habib, penned the article with contributions from two Sri Lankan journalists.

Members of parliament, including Kanchana Wijesekera and Dullas Alahapperuma, at yesterday’s press conference accused them of being tools of the current government. One of the politicians showed a photo of the journalist to the camera, the Times said.

“Politicians have every right to dispute the findings of a news report, but publicly singling out ………….. and ………… (the two Sri Lankan journalists) is a worrisome development in a country noted for attacks on journalists and unsolved journalist murders,” said Steven Butler, CPJ’s Asia program coordinator. “We call on all political parties in Sri Lanka to publicly affirm support for press freedom and journalists’ safety.”

During Rajapaksa’s decade in office from 2005 to 2015, 11 journalists were killed, including five who were targeted for murder and whose cases remain unsolved, according to CPJ research. 

While Sri Lanka’s current government has promised to take swift action to solve journalist murders, progress has been painstakingly slow, according to CPJ research. Police have complained that evidence in the murders was lost or destroyed under the previous government, creating obstacles to prosecution.

In a statement, New York Times international editor Michael Slackman stood by the story while saying the politicians’ action “appears intended to silence critics and curb press freedoms and ultimately deprive Sri Lankans of information in the public interest.”