Express and Explore Yourself

Sri Lankan government calls journalists 'traitors'

New York: The Sri Lankan government must immediately halt its intimidation of journalists who supported the adoption of a U.N. Human Rights Council resolution calling for an investigation into the country's alleged abuses of international humanitarian law during its war with Tamil separatists.Journalists in the capital, Colombo, told CPJ they were concerned by a state-controlled media campaign against them, which called them "traitors" for supporting the U.S.-backed motion. News accounts reported that Wednesday's vote, which passed 24 to 15, with eight abstentions, infuriated the Sri Lankan government.

The BBC said that after the vote, state television launched an attack on Sri Lankan journalists, both at home and in exile, saying they were helping the defeated Tamil Tiger rebels and "betraying the motherland." The broadcaster also said that although the journalists who had participated in the Council sessions were not specifically named, Sri Lankan state television "repeatedly zooms in on thinly disguised photographs of them, promising to give their names soon and 'expose more traitors.'"

"Things are quite tense here. We've had anti-U.S. and anti-resolution protests the past few days, and now we're waiting to see who they will hit out at next," one journalist in the country told CPJ."The government of President Mahinda Rajapaksa has a long and alarming record of intolerance to criticism," said Bob Dietz, CPJ's Asia program coordinator. "The international community must be extra vigilant in ensuring that Sri Lankan journalists are not subjected to reprisals for voicing their concerns to the Human Rights Council." The U.N. resolution called on Sri Lanka to investigate abuses carried out by its military in 2009, at the end of the decades-long war with Tamil separatists.

Rajapaksa's administration has verbally attacked journalists in the past in an effort to intimidate them, CPJ research shows. In a 2008 letter to Rajapaksa, CPJ voiced concern over government officials repeatedly calling journalists "traitors" in public. At least nine journalists have been murdered in the Rajapaksa era, all of them unsolved, according to CPJ data.

8 comments:

  1. Do you mind if I quote a few of your posts as long as I provide credit and sources back to your webpage?
    My website is in the exact same area of interest as yours and my
    visitors would truly benefit from a lot of the information you provide
    here. Please let me know if this ok with you. Thanks!



    Also visit my blog :: 13038

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my goodness! Awesome article dude! Thank you so much, However I am encountering issues with your
    RSS. I don't know why I cannot join it. Is there anyone else getting identical RSS problems? Anyone that knows the solution can you kindly respond? Thanx!!

    Also visit my web site ... soles

    ReplyDelete
  3. It's a pity you don't have a donate button! I'd definitely donate to this superb blog! I guess for now i'll settle for book-marking
    and adding your RSS feed to my Google account. I look
    forward to brand new updates and will share this site with
    my Facebook group. Chat soon!

    Look into my blog; www.djhanleys.ie

    ReplyDelete
  4. Heya! I'm at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone 4! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Carry on the superb work!

    Feel free to surf to my blog post ... www.greenscoffeee.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. Just was browsing web 2.0 site when I found your sit, and I
    want to say your blog template is very nice. Just how long
    have you been blogging for? The way you do all of this makes it look like a breeze.
    Your site is beautiful, not to mention offers loads of interesting content.



    Feel free to visit my web-site - donas

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm lucky that I've hаԁ thе οpрoгtunitу to dіѕсоver blogger.
    сom: it has the mοst info aррroρriate for me.
    Үou've built an excellent reference point and it's clear you ρosѕеsѕ a detаiled comprеhension of the iѕѕue.
    Υou hаvе opened up my eyes tο numeгous points conсeгning this type οf subject employing inteгеsting and effectiѵe matеrial.


    My wеb blog :: urticaceous

    ReplyDelete
  7. Now by Aobo Mac keylogger is ideal for parents desirous of keeping a close watch on children activity online.

    ReplyDelete