Mangala Pinsiri Samawareera, a cabinet member in several governments and presently the leader of a political party and Member of Parliament yesterday (November 6), reported in Lanka Dissent, an E-publication, that he has been receiving death threats due to the exercise of his freedom of expression by establishing a forum called Defence Watch. According to the report Mr. Samaraweera has been receiving telephone calls threatening him with death and the callers appear to be linked with the military. Most of the calls have warned him that traitors have no punishment other than death.”
Mr. Samaraweera was the Foreign Minister of the ruling regime until, due to a difference of opinion he was sacked from his post in 2007. Prior to his sacking he had been the chief organiser for the Sri Lanka Freedom Party in the southern city of Matara since 1983. He also held various positions such as Assistant Secretary of the SLFP Coordinating Secretary of the Mothers Front. In the previous government of President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga he held the position of Minister of Post & Telecommunications. He also served as the Minister of Urban Development, Construction and Public Utilities in the same Cabinet until after a reshuffle he was given the Deputy Minister of Finance portfolio. He was also on the executive board for the Sri Lanka National Commission for UNESCO. For further details about Mr. Samaraweera kindly see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangala_Samaraweera#Political_career.
Several members of the United National Party, which is the leading opposition party complained in parliament that they too have received death threats from an organisation called Mahason Balakaya (Battalion of the Ghosts of Death), which they claim to be connected with the ruling regime. It is interesting that the ruling regime have made no announcement of conducting inquiries or made any effort to distance themselves from this group.
A number of human rights lawyers and court registrars also received death threats in the recent weeks, warning them not to appear in courts in cases relating to alleged terrorists.
On September 27 2008 the house of a prominent human rights lawyer was attacked with two grenades and this attack was condemned by the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, civil society organisations and international organisations such as the International Commission of Jurists, Transparency International, Amnesty International, Lawyers for Lawyers, Netherlands, Law Asia, the Asian Human Rights Commission and many other organisations.
Observers have warned that in the south a serious situation is developing in which opposition politicians, journalists, lawyers, particularly those dealing with human rights, intellectuals and trade unionists and others may become targets of unidentified assailants. Sri Lanka has a record of extrajudicial killings, forced disappearances and torture which have continued since 1971 in various parts of the country, the south, north and the east. There is a fear psychosis being created. That a major operation against dissidents of any sort may take place, is a common fear that has been expressed.
It is the duty of the state to provide security to everyone and this applies even more seriously regarding politicians and public personalities who engage in public life. The opposition politicians of whatever colour need to be given effective protection. It is the duty of society to demand from the state that such protection must be ensured. Bernard Shaw stated that assassination is an extreme form of censorship. This kind of censorship which is already widespread may spread even further. The government and the international community must cooperate to prevent such a political tsunami from doing greater damage to an already devastated country.
