The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara said Iqbal Athas, the defence writer for the Sunday Times weekend paper and CNN reporter humiliate Sri Lanka in the face of the International Community.

IFJ Asia-Pacific director Jacqui Park said the ongoing persecution of Athas for carrying out his professional duties is disturbing and unjust.

“This is not the first time Athas has been targeted and it’s disturbing that a government ministry still insists on slandering his name, despite government claims that they support a free media,” said Park

“The attacks against Athas reveal the Sri Lankan government is full of contradictions and has failed to show a clear and honest commitment to media freedom,” Park said.

“While the government has a right to disagree with the claims made by journalists, they have no right to provoke hatred and harm reputations.”

The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara also said, Iqbal Athas was insulting the soldiers who are fighting terrorism by shrewdly manipulating the military situation in the north and east in favour of the rebels, while posing off as a defence analyst and columnist and he should be known as a traitor.

Iqbal Athas, was given police protection after a series of threats by members of security forces angered by his exposure of arms deals and a deal involving the purchase of Mig 27 fighter jets and was accused of creating a national security threat in doing so.

The FMM believe the removal of Athas’ police protection, announced on August 16, to be retribution for his exposure of the deal.

The Sri Lanka is among the worst place in the earth, said The International Press Freedom Mission, which includes IFEX members the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), International Press Institute (IPI) and RSF all of their visit to Sri Lanka in last June.

The IFJ urges the authorities to step up protection for journalists suffering harassment.

The seriously worsening situation in Sri Lanka for the journalists and journalism are continuing unabated in Sri Lanka with impunity especially for the Tamil journalist and making journalists to abandon their profession or flee the country, according to another media rights group in Colombo.

Many international governments threatened Sri Lanka with possible economic, arms and ammunition sanction while many rights groups called for International Monitoring Mission to Sri Lanka citing lawlessness in the country and the human rights abuses records against journalists and civilians according to media reports.

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed