The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
is deeply concerned about the steady erosion of
press freedom in Sri Lanka, following reports of
the media being denied access to war zones,
incidents of self-censorship and intimidation,
and news journalists were forced to flee the
country out of fear for their safety.

"The Sri Lankan media is increasingly struggling
to operate freely and without fear in recent
months, which is resulting in a significant
decline in the number of independent voices in
the country," IFJ President Christopher Warren
said.

According to local reports, the Sri Lankan army
has prevented the press on several occasions from
entering combat zones and regions controlled by
the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE),
including strategic towns in North and East, for
the past several months.

"When journalists are unable to provide
on-the-ground reports, their ability to report
accurately and objectively is compromised,“Warren said.”With the overwhelming amount of rumour and
propaganda coming from all sides of the conflict,
the restriction on journalists’ access is only
resulting in an uninformed public," he said.

The IFJ calls on all parties to ensure
journalists are able to move freely and safely
throughout Sri Lanka, including war zones.

Journalists have also reportedly been forced to
flee the country out of fear for their safety.

According to an IFJ affiliate, the Free Media
Movement (FMM), continuous death threats have
forced three prominent journalists - Anurudha
Lokuhappuarrachi, a senior photographer for
Reuters, Rohitha Bashana Abeywardane, a freelance
reporter, and S. Rajkumar, president of the Sri
Lanka Tamil Media Alliance (SLMTA) and Colombo
news manager of the UK-based Theepam TV- to leave
Sri Lanka in the latter part of 2006.

Their return is uncertain due to the
deteriorating security situation in the country.

Furthermore, fears the Emergency (Prevention and
Prohibition of Terrorism and Specified Terrorist
Activities) Regulations, enacted last month,
would be used to restrict freedom of expression
are proving to be valid with new reports of
arrests and the interrogation of journalists
under these laws.

According to the FMM, three state journalists -
Sunday Observer associate editor Lionel
Yodasinghe and news editor Ranga Jayasuriya, and
Silumina journalist Prasanna Fonseka - were
interrogated under these new laws on December 21
after they published reports on defence issues.

The FMM reports the new anti-terrorism laws are
also encouraging self-censorship. Leading
investigative journalist Iqbal Attas reportedly
admitted to censoring himself from writing
critically on “security issues” in his column in
The Sunday Times on December 17.

"Fears of being arrested under these laws are
having a chilling effect on journalistic
integrity, which means the truth is often getting
buried, and critical journalism is suffering,"
said the president of the IFJ, the organisation
representing more than 500,000 journalists in
over 115 countries.

Additionally, government inaction and the
continued conflict have resulted in the closure
of the A9 highway between Colombo and Jaffna,
which has had a damaging effect on the media in
the North.

According to the FMM, the price of newsprint has
reportedly tripled in recent weeks due to the
road closure, and the Tamil dailies Uthayan,
Valampuri and Yarl Thinakkural have been forced
to cut their pages by half.

Despite appeals from the Government Agent of
Jaffna, the defence ministry has reportedly
refused permission to bring in the much-needed
newsprint, without which the newspapers may be
forced to cease publication altogether.

"It is absolutely disgraceful that the government
can allow the closure of such vital publications
simply because of the price of newsprint. By
denying access to newsprint the government is
denying the Sri Lankan people access to a
plurality of voices; and this is simply
unacceptable," Warren said.

Additionally, many of the journalists working
for Valampuri and Yarl Thinakkural have
reportedly been threatened because of their
coverage of the situation in the Jaffna peninsula.

"Restricted access to information,
self-censorship, editorial interference and
intimidation are all enemies of press freedom,
and this is only exacerbating the already fragile
environment in Sri Lanka,“the IFJ president said.”The IFJ demands the Sri Lankan government put an
end to the climate of fear that is engulfing the
country, and thereby ensure the Sri Lankan
people’s right to a free and independent media is
preserved."

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +61 2 9333 0919

The IFJ represents over 500,000 journalists in more than 115 countries