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Even by
On
January 6, on a quiet road on the outskirts of
And at around 6:40 a.m. on January 23, according to Upali Tennakoon, editor of the Sinhala-language, pro-government weekly Rivira, four men on two motorcycles forced his car to stop and smashed its window. One attacker used a metal bar with a single sharp point to hit Tennakoon in the face and in his hands when he put them up to defend himself, he said. He and his wife, Dhammika, were driving to his office at the time of the attack.
But
by far the worst assault on a journalist came on
January 8, two days after the bombing of Sirasa. At around 10 a.m. on
January 8, the editor-in-chief of The
Sunday Leader, Lasantha Wickramatunga, was killed in his car on his way to
work on a busy street in a mixed suburban and semi-industrial suburb of
The attacks on the two men came in broad daylight on public roads, using weapons deigned to maim and kill. Clearly they were meant not only to terrorize their victims but anyone who might support them.
CPJ’s
special report on the incidents, Failure
to Investigate, looked closely at the attacks and at the atmosphere of
total impunity that surrounds assaults on journalists in
Sonali
Samarasinghe, Wickramatunga’s wife, has been conducting a campaign to have the
case investigated and his killers brought to justice. Her Web site, UnbowedandUnafraid
seeks to keep his case and those of other Sri Lankan journalists alive. Fearing
for her safety, she no longer lives in
CPJ has already made the case that the government has not brought his killers or the perpetrators of any other acts of violence against any journalists to justice. Ever. Sonali Samarasinghe’s letter calls on President Mahinda Rajapaksa to address those injustices, just as we have been doing.
Read a pdf of the letter
here.
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What a disgrace the Rajapakse brothers have proven themselves to be. The fact that there is no difference between the tigers and them is clearly seen. This bunch of village thugs have shown the voters their true colors. Now is the time to get rid of this cursed family.
Sri Lanka won't change unless Mahindha and Gota are thrown out.
Sri Lanka will never change until all the corrupt politicians are kicked out of the country and a fresh administration is bought. Every president gives false hopes to people when an election comes. When they get elected, all they do is try to acumulate as much money from the poor people of Sri Lanka. They dont care about any Sri Lankan except their own pockets. So nothing will till the corrupt politicians are kicked out of the country !!!
Sri Lanka is fast descending into a hell-hole for journalists but it is the insouciance of the international community which repeatedly has been overlooking its gross human rights violations and allowing the massive IMF loan that should take the blame.
The GSP+ status would be granted to Sri Lanka and will go ahead despite all the hue and cry EU is raising since the government would send in its dis-inforamtion counsellors to propagate that all is well with Sri Lanka.
After all did not Mahinda liberate the poor Tamils from the clutches of terrorism and end the 30 year old war.
Never mind Tamils are still living in badly costructed shanties given with the aid of UNHCR and many have not returned home.
This war was created by majority hegemony and marginalistion of its majority minority ethnic Tamils not unlike the Karen community in Burma.
2010 will be a far worse time for minorities and journalists daring to voice opposition to the pyrrhic victory this govt. scored.
A few diplomats whould be feted around camps and Temple Trees and shown show-piece rehabilitation camps and all will be forgotten.
After all it's election time.
When all the celebrations are over and the new President is elected on January 26 it would be another round of jubilations. Nothing ever changes.