STOP killing the media and its journalists

Your Excellency the President of Sri Lanka
Presidential Secretariat,
Colombo,
Sri Lanka.

Protest and condemnation Stop intimidating the media and journalists

We have watched with indignation and despair, the breach of freedom of expression and brutal suppression of the media and journalists under your government. We have read and heard the explanations given by your Media Minister and Defence spokesmen on all such events and incidents, with absolutely no logic to convince us. In fact the picture of a muddied and raped media needs no explanation to the conscious and intelligent citizenry.

We therefore refrain from going into details to argue our case that could be accessed from very many sources. We refrain from arguing that the media is being severely and savagely suppressed through threats, intimidations, goon attacks, abductions, killings and arbitrary arrests with fabricated charges, as they do take place with impunity and are all public knowledge by now.

We also wish to stress; no war however patriotic is reason for brutal suppression and savage attacks on the media and journalists in a modern democratic society.

We therefore call upon you as the Head of State with Executive powers to,

1. immediately allow lawyers of arrested media personnel to watch over their interests without any hindrance during investigations
2. take immediate steps to guarantee that there would be no more threats on Rupavahini employees
3. strip Minister Mervyn Silva from all his state and government positions immediately as no commissions and reports are necessary to judge his gutter life
4. make a public apology for all the savage and brutal incidents that sought to suppress and threaten the media during your tenure as President.
5. stop harassing the media and suppressing it

We are all very concerned citizens who wish to see Sri Lanka as a truly democratic society with media freedom, totally free from any form of suppression and coercion and we would keep watch over all developments, including your commitment in translating your promise of a democratic state, into reality.