Sri Lanka: RSF calls on newly-elected president to commit to press freedom
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) urges Sri Lanka’s new president, Anura Kumara Dissanayaka, to prioritise press freedom. To this end, RSF has proposed five policy recommendations to protect and uphold the right to information.
Anura Kumara Dissanayaka was elected president on 21 September in a nation that ranked 150th out of 180 countries in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index. Sri Lankan journalists work in an environment that is legally, politically, socially and economically challenging, which limits citizens’ access to free and independent information.
These media professionals face ongoing attacks on the right to inform, and impunity for these abuses persists.. In 2024, the Online Safety Act, which encourages censorship, joined the repressive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) in Sri Lanka”s arsenal of legislation that is deliberately misused to silence journalists.
"There was no improvement to press freedom under former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who came to power after the 2022 uprising. Sri Lanka is in a worrying situation that calls for urgent measures to guarantee journalists can work freely and in safety. RSF calls on the new president to commit to the right to reliable information and the protection of media professionalsto further Sri Lanka’s path towards a free press.
RSF's five recommendations:
1) Eradicate the culture of impunity for crimes against media professionals by bringing all ongoing cases to a swift conclusion, including those that have been unjustifiably delayed.
- Notably, the government should shed light on the disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda, cartoonist and journalist with the Lankaenews news site, who has been missing since 24 January 2010.
- They should also reopen the investigation into the 2009 murder of Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor-in-chief of Sunday Leader, a weekly newspaper.
2) Repeal the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which has been misused to silence critical voices and journalists from Tamil and Muslim minorities. The safety of these journalists is paramount, and their legal harassment must be put to an end.
3) Repeal the Online Safety Act, which was passed by Parliament in January 2024 and encourages censorship.
4) Guarantee media pluralism and independence. Structural reforms to the management of state-funded media are essential to ensure they maintain editorial independence.
5) Guarantee journalists' rights, including the protection of their sources.
