SRI LANKA: Five newspapers warned by censorship authorities
September 1, 2000
Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
President, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo-1
Sri Lanka
VIA FAX: 011-94-1-333-703
Your Excellency:
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is dismayed by recent indications
that censorship regulations are still fully in force in Sri Lanka, despite
earlier assurances by the media minister that these restrictions would
be lifted by mid-August, well in advance of the upcoming parliamentary
elections. CPJ believes that it is impossible to hold free and fair
elections in a country where media are subject to censorship regulations.
Within the last two weeks, at least five newspapers have received warning
letters signed by Director of Information Ariya Rubasinghe, who is in
charge of enforcing the censorship regime. The letters all came in response
to press coverage of controversy surrounding the appointment of a new
army chief. The Sinhala-language newspapers Lankadipa and
Divaina, and the English-language newspapers The Daily Mirror,
The Island, and The Sunday Leader have each received separate
warnings, according to CPJ sources.
On August 28, Rubasinghe issued a statement to all media, saying that
the press "in the recent past has published several news items which
tend to create dissension among the Security Forces."
Rubasinghe apparently acted at the behest of the Ministry of Defense,
which had requested his intervention in a letter sent earlier that day.
That letter, a copy of which was obtained by CPJ, objected to press
reports that allegedly tried "to show that there are problems within
the Army."
Rubasinghe's statement accordingly warned journalists that "reporting
... military-related news that would affect the morale of the Security
Forces contravenes existing Emergency Regulations."
Among many other topics, the amended Emergency Regulations of July 1
proscribe press coverage of "any statement pertaining to the official
conduct or the performance of the Head or any member of any of the Armed
Forces or the Police Force, which affect the morale of the members of
such forces."
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has called for an overhaul
of the Emergency Regulations concerning censorship on the grounds that
they are "too broad and are couched in vague and general language that
confers an extensive discretion to the Competent Authority [Rubasinghe],"
according to an August 20 report in The Sunday Times.
As a nonpartisan organization of journalists dedicated to the defense
of press freedom around the world, CPJ calls for the immediate lifting
of the censorship regulations. With the parliamentary elections scheduled
for October 10, less than six weeks away, it is imperative that all
journalists in Sri Lanka are free to comment independently and without
fear of reprisal on issues of national importance-including the conduct
and composition of the armed forces, and the course of the civil war.
We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter, and await your
response.
Sincerely,
Ann Cooper
Executive Director
Send a letter to:
Her Excellency Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
President, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo-1
Sri Lanka
VIA FAX: 011-94-1-333-703