London-based rights group Amnesty International expressing grave concern over the safety of media workers has urged Sri Lanka government to protect media workers and their rights to life, liberty and security. Cases of disappearances and killings of media workers in many cases in the conflict prone region of north and east of Sri Lanka has been a subject of apprehension in view of international press freedom.
The conflict in Sri Lanka persists between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The war between LTTE and government forces has effectively been uncovered due to less access to media persons and hence there are very few established facts.
In a recent media release Amnesty said, “The conflict in the north and east of Sri Lanka has continued to escalate since the ending of the ceasefire agreement on 16 January 2008. The withdrawal of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission responsible for monitoring the implementation of the 2002 ceasefire agreement means that there is a vacuum of independent reporting of human rights violations. This makes it more urgent that journalists are allowed to report without undue restrictions and document human rights abuses on the ground.”
As Amnesty reports, at least 10 media workers have been unlawfully killed in Sri Lanka since the beginning of 2006. Others have been arbitrarily detained, tortured and allegedly disappeared while in the custody of security forces. And to the sarcasm there has not any investigation done so far to the arrest and prosecution of those responsible.
Also, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had expressed concern over the increasing civilian causalities. Both LTTE and Govt security forces have been constantly contradicting each others’ number of casualties. The actual number has not been adequately accessed due to the absence of extensive media coverage.
Amnesty expressed: “Ensuring respect for human rights around the world very often relies on impartial and rigorous media coverage – without exposure and public scrutiny abuses can flourish under a veil of secrecy and denial”.
It further presses the importance of media coverage in conflict prone region where large number of civilian caught in the crossfire, which is a grave violence of human rights and breaches of international humanitarian law.
The organisation has also called on the government to respect media workers and publicly announce that killings, threats, or other attacks will not be tolerated and to investigate all cases of attacks, disappearances and killings of media workers promptly, independently, impartially and effectively, irrespective of the identity of perpetrators or victims.
It also called the LTTE to issue instructions to all its members to stop targeting media workers and threat to journalists. The rebel outfit doesn’t allow media to its occupied region.
Quoting Free Media Movement, a Colombo-based media watchdog, Amnesty said that the Government officials have bared photographers and journalist in the past week from entering hospitals in Colombo where Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers injured in battle in late April are being treated.
To humanitarian concern the importance of media coverage in war is much higher as without effective coverage with actual reporting of war and violence no-one knows enough to put pressure on the participants to ensure human rights are respected.
Source: Amnesty media release dated May 03, 2008 (Friday)
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