About IFEX:

News by region:

IFEX Campaigns and Advocacy:

IFEX Email Products:

Alert

Mob assaults two journalists covering anti-war rally, attacks photographer and seizes camera

(FMM/IFEX) - The following is a 9 January 2007 FMM press release:

Assault on Journalists

The FMM is disturbed to receive reports that an unruly mob of hundreds of persons invaded an open stage in Nugegoda, Colombo, around 2:30 p.m. (local time) on 9 January 2007, to disrupt the first public rally of the United Peoples Movement (UPM), and assaulted two journalists present at this meeting. UPM is an anti-war collation of the main opposition parties, rallying around the slogan "Against War, Hunger and Oppression".

The two journalists assaulted were Ajith Senavirathan of Lanka E-News and Gananasiri Kottigoda of "Haraya" monthly and BBC Sinhala Service. The mob also attacked a freelance cameraperson who was taking photographs and confiscated his camera. All three journalists told FMM that a deputy minister was responsible for inciting the mob attack against them.

FMM condemns this attack, registers its vehement opposition to attacks against journalists covering public events and urgently requests that the government hold an inquiry into the incident.

FMM is concerned about the lack of any police presence at the time of the attack, even though the police had informed the organizers about the possibility of an attack. Noting this incident, FMM is extremely fearful about the emergence of a dangerous trend of intolerance toward, and the forceful suppression of, anti-war and pro-peace sentiments in Sri Lanka. We are mindful that previous months witnessed an increasing number of attacks against public initiatives similar to the rally in Nugegoda. No one, to date, has been indicted for these attacks.

We remind those who wish to oppress democratic dissent that freedom of association and freedom of expression are inalienable human rights in a healthy democracy.

We are at a tipping point for democracy in Sri Lanka. If the allegations that a deputy minister in the incumbent government led the mob attack are proved accurate, it would be a severe blow to democracy in Sri Lanka. The possibility of mob rule overcoming democratic governance is disturbing and points to urgent concerns about the safety and security of journalists and civil society activists in support of a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict.

In this context, FMM urges the government to condemn this attack in the strongest terms and to ensure that steps are taken to prevent further acts of this nature in future, in order to safeguard and strengthen democratic governance and media freedom in Sri Lanka.