Brussels, 6 June - The International News Safety Institute on Friday expressed
its shock and alarm at repeated bellicose official statements aimed at
journalists in the war-torn country and said it would draw the attention of the
UN Secretary-General to the situation.
In commentaries published on its website on Thursday the Defence
Ministry
labelled journalists critical of the war effort against Tamil rebels as
"enemies of the state" and said it would take unspecified "all
necessary measures to stop this journalistic treachery". As well as
news organisations, the Ministry singled out for criticism the Free
Media Movement (FMM), a prominent local rights group.
"As a newssafety organisation we fear statements like this risk
encouraging those who have used extreme violence against journalists
and other
news professionals in the country," said INSI Director Rodney Pinder.
"This must stop immediately and the government must assure the news
community of its independence and safety before ruthless elements are
emboldened to take more violent action against journalists.
"I would remind the Sri Lankan government that freedom of expression is
a
basic human right and it is the job of journalists to report the views
of all
sections of society and all sides in a conflict," he added. INSI
protested last January when Army Commander Maj.-Gen. Sarath Fonseka
labelled some journalists as traitors. His statement followed a strike
by the
Sri Lankan Air Force against the official Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam
(LTTE) radio station which killed at least three editorial staff the
previous
November.
INSI then urged the government to take stand for freedom of expression and
guarantee the safety of journalists. UN Security Council Resolution 1738 passed in December 2006 urges all parties
in situations of armed conflict to respect the professional independence and
rights of journalists, media professionals and associated personnel. In
addition, journalists in conflict zones are protected as civilians under the
Geneva Conventions.
"We are drawing our fears over these dangerous developments in Sri Lanka
to the attention of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to consider under terms of
Resolution 1738," Pinder said. Under terms of the R1738 the Secretary-General is required to make regular
reports to the Security Council on the issue of the safety and security of
journalists, media professionals and associated personnel.
The text of R1738 is on the front page of the INSI website www.newssafety.com
At least 12 Sri Lankan media workers have been killed over the past two years,
while others have been abducted, tortured or illegally detained, according to
Amnesty International. INSI's global survey of news media casualties since 1996 placed Sri Lanka 14th
out of more than 70 countries where journalists died trying to do their jobs.
INSI is a unique coalition of news organisations, journalist support groups and
individuals exclusively dedicated to the safety of news media staff working in
dangerous environments. It is a non-profit charity, supported by membership
contributions which are channelled back into safety work.
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