Courtesy Hiru News

Raju Lama, President of the SAARC Journalist Forum (SJF), states that he strongly condemns the Sri Lankan government’s attempts to obstruct media freedom and oppose the right to freedom of expression through police intimidation and illegal measures.

Issuing a statement, he points out that the request made by the police regarding a news item recently published by the Hiru Media Network concerning a cannabis raid is a direct attack on independent journalism.

The Central Committee of the SAARC Journalist Forum (SJF) emphasised this by issuing a special statement today (26).

The statement further points out that during the past 15 months, the National People’s Power (NPP) government has shown a disturbing pattern of media suppression.

The announcement also emphasises that although they promised to protect democratic values, they are now showing ‘authoritarian tendencies.

‘The SAARC Journalist Forum calls upon the Sri Lankan government to immediately stop using police-state tactics to silence critics, to protect the constitutional rights of journalists, to ensure editorial independence, and to respect international standards regarding media freedom and media ethics.

Furthermore, through this statement, the SAARC Journalist Forum requests all international human rights organisation and advocates for free speech to stand in solidarity against state interventions in the country’s media sector.