An international human rights group is urging the Sri Lankan government to stop what it says is postelection harassment of journalists and news media.
New-York based Human Rights Watch (HRW) said that since Tuesday’s presidential election, authorities have detained and questioned several journalists, blocked news Web sites and expelled a foreign journalist. At least one journalist has been assaulted and several have been threatened.
‘SETTLING SCORES’
“Now that [President Mahinda Rajapaksa] has been re-elected, there appears to be a settling of scores with critics of the government,” Human Rights Watch’s Asia director, Brad Adams, said in a statement on Friday night.
On Friday, detectives questioned Chandana Sirimalwatte, an editor of a newspaper that backed Rajapaksa’s rival Sarath Fonseka and has reported on alleged government corruption.
Authorities also ordered a Swiss radio journalist to leave the country by Monday after she asked critical questions at a postelection news conference, said Andreas Notter, a spokesman for the broadcaster.
Notter said the Sri Lankan government gave no reason for the expulsion of South Asia correspondent Karin Wenger.
Human Rights Watch said authorities have blocked access to at least five news Web sites since the day before the election.
MISSING
On Thursday, armed men surrounded the office of one of the Web sites, Lanka e news, which was critical of Rajapaksa.
A contributor to the same Web site, Prageeth Ekneligoda, has been missing since leaving his office two days before the election.
Ravi Abeywickrama, a state TV employee, was assaulted after signing a statement with 60 other state media employees condemning the alleged misuse of state media to promote Rajapaksa, the group said.
“We fear that this is just the beginning of a campaign to get rid of critical voices before the parliamentary elections,” Adams said.
Media rights groups say Sri Lanka is among the most dangerous places for dissenting journalists. Amnesty International says at least 14 media workers have been killed since 2006.
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