Fifty years on

ARTICLE 19, the London-based International Centre Against Censorship, says in a December report titled Fifty years on: Censorship, conflict and media reform in Sri Lanka, that developments in the island signal further deterioration in democratic practice affecting freedom of expression and association. These include the January Emergency regulation banning the LTTE, the manner in which numerous Bills were rushed through Parliament in the absence of the main opposition party and the use of Emergency powers to cancel provincial elections. While media reforms are delayed, criminal defamation cases have been brought against newspaper editors and press harassment has continued unabated. Censorship continues as before despite a civilian - Ariya Rubasinghe - replacing the military officer as censor. Emergency powers available to the President have been used to control areas of life with no connection to the conflict whatsoever. Tens of thousands of people displaced in the north-east feel caught-up between the warring sides, unable to access the media.

Article 19 further says that the LTTE is well known for its repressive regime and has ruthlessly killed members of all communities. Independent reporting of the war remain rare. Government and LTTE reports reflect the use of propaganda and misinformation in the pursuit of their objectives.

Article 19 has drawn attention to the Supreme Court decision declaring the authoritarian Broadcasting Authority Bill unconstitutional, and the April 1998 Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Responsibility. The agency urges the Sri Lankan government to lift censorship and implement its recommendations for the promotion of the freedom of expression.

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