The Asian Human Rights Commission expresses its shock at the most . On March 22, 2010 a mob which arrived on a bus attacked the Sirasa TV building with stones. The crowd came well prepared for this attack and continued it for some time. Sirasa TV is one of the most well-known media institutions in Sri Lanka and is known to be a voice for the opposition.
The media organisation used water cannons to repel the mob that made repeated attempts to enter the premises. However, due to the protective action taken by the station they were unable to gain access. In a telecast by the television station the organisation exhibited photographic evidence of the attack. The photographs show a very large crowd throwing heavy stones and attacking the media unit. Many clear pictures of the attackers were recorded by their cameras. The pictures were telecast and the public have been invited to provide information on the individual members of the mob.
The police failed to provide any protective measures for the media unit and also failed to pursue and arrest the perpetrators. A number of persons taken into custody were released on police bail prior to being produced before a magistrate. The workers of the media unit had to pursue the bus themselves which carried away the mob and despite of details being given to the police no action has been taken by the authorities to arrest any of these persons.
Sirasa TV has been attacked in the past and on none of those occasions was there adequate action on the part of the police in order to take appropriate legal action against the attackers.
The latest attack has taken place while the campaigns for the parliamentary elections are being conducted and attacks of this nature cannot be carried out without the direct or indirect involvement of the government. The election is scheduled for April 8, 2010.The government has had a policy of turning a blind eye to attacks on the free media for a long time. There is a long record of the assassinations of journalists and large numbers of media personnel have fled the country for their safety. One of these journalists, the well-known Prageeth Ekanaliyagoda, disappeared on January 24 and his whereabouts remain unknown. His family and the local media organisations accused the government of involvement in this disappearance.
Clearly the government has failed in its duty to provide protection for media freedom in Sri Lanka. In fact, the government is pursuing a vigorous policy against the opposition media and is attempting to suppress the freedom of expression in the country. Repeated calls on the part of local and international organisations and governments on the Sri Lankan government to respect freedom of expression have failed to find any positive response on the part of the government.
The attack on the media in the midst of a parliamentary election points to the absence of a climate conducive to a free and fair election.
The police and judicial systems of the country have been so weakened that they are unable to provide the people with protection when their basic freedoms are violated. Inroads are being made into the judiciary by the introduction of military tribunals. The total denial of basic democratic freedoms is becoming increasingly intense.
There is clearly a serious crisis of democratic freedoms within Sri Lanka and an attempt toward the complete intimidation of all forces of the opposition within the country. The present attack on Sirasa TV is a further indication of the deterioration of freedom in Sri Lanka.
