The Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association (SLWJA), in a letter addressed to the Public Security Minister and copied to the President and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), has called on the authorities to ensure the safety of journalists and to protect media freedom.
The letter comes in connection with the arrest of the Editor of the Lanka E News website, Sandaruwan Senadheera, and the intimidation and obstruction of Ceylon Today Deputy Editor, Sulochana Ramiah Mohan.
The SLWJA expressed its concern regarding the arrest on Wednesday (11) of Senadheera at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake. Senadheera had been living in exile for several years under the political protection of the United Kingdom Government. Senadheera was arrested upon arrival in Sri Lanka as a suspect in connection with a legal matter filed during the tenure of a previous Government.
“The circumstances surrounding this arrest have once again raised serious concerns among journalists as to whether the climate of fear and social insecurity that prevailed during the Rajapaksa administration, under which Senadheera was compelled to leave the country due to threats to his life, continues to persist under the present administration”. Furthermore, the SLWJA condemned the intimidation and obstruction carried out by Police officers against Ramiah Mohan while she was performing her professional duties. Ramiah Mohan had been gathering information for an article for her newspaper by speaking with an Iranian sailor who survived the destruction of an Iranian vessel. These sailors are currently receiving treatment as inpatients at the Galle National Hospital in Karapitiya. During her reporting, two officers of the Police had interfered with her work, confiscated her notes, verbally abused her, and obstructed her professional duties.
“Such incidents indicate a troubling deterioration of democratic norms within society. The continued extension of Emergency Regulations, the growing shadow of a Police state environment across the country, and the persistence of laws that suppress media freedom and civil liberties together reflect a disturbing trend. These developments raise concerns that the current administration may be moving toward a repressive governance model reminiscent of the Rajapaksa era”.