Mahinda Rajapakse

President
Presidential Secretariat
Colombo 1
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 2446657

October 9, 2009

Re: Urgent Protection for Dileesha Abeysundara

Your Excellency,

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) respectfully requests that you exert your authority to provide immediate protection for Dileesha Abeysundara, a highly respected young journalist who was threatened and intimidated by unidentified people at her home on September 28.

“White van” abductions of media personnel are known to be used as a mechanism to intimidate individual journalists, targeting those who report independently on issues of public interest.

Poddala Jayantha, President of the Sri Lanka Working Journalists’ Association, was abducted by people in a white van and brutally assaulted on June 1. His attackers reportedly threatened Jayantha that he would never write again while crushing his hands in an act of torture.

Earlier in 2009, the editor of the Uthayan and Sudar Oli newspaper group N. Vidyatharan, was abducted by people in a white van on February 26. It was later discovered that he was being detained at a police station. He was held under a vague pretext until April 24 when a court ordered his release as there was no evidence linking Vidyatharan to any unlawful activity.

In view of these prior cases, Abeysundara has good reason to fear that the people who arrived at her home in a white van intended to abduct her or to otherwise intimidate her.

The IFJ respectfully requests you, as Sri Lanka’s highest elected representative, to ensure the safety and rights of all citizens, including journalists, regardless of the content of their reporting.

Abeysundara is an award-winning journalist for the Irudina newspaper, which is known for its critical reporting. She is also the Deputy Secretary of the Free Media Movement and Secretary of the National Forum for Journalists in Sri Lanka.

Abeysundara believes she is being targeted for organising a public event to campaign against the reintroduction of the Press Council Act in July this year, which would allow for journalists to be prosecuted for contempt and sentenced to extended periods in prison, and prohibits the publication of materials related to government documents, the armed services, national security and economic policy.

The IFJ joins local, regional and international organisations including Amnesty International in calling on your Government to immediately undertake appropriate measures to ensure the safety of Abeysundara.

The IFJ respectfully requests that you use your authority to guide Sri Lanka through a positive process of post-conflict reconciliation in which a transparent, open and free media environment and independent reporting are fostered.

While journalists such as Abeysundara continue to be compelled into hiding as a result of their defence of an open democratic space for Sri Lanka’s media, successful reconciliation that benefits all people in Sri Lanka will remain elusive.

Yours sincerely,

Jacqui Park

Director

IFJ Asia-Pacific

International Federation of Journalists

Tel: +612 9333 0919

Fax: +612 9333 0933

E: ifj@ifj-asia.org

W: http://asiapacific.ifj.org

COPIES TO:

Inspector General of Police
Jayantha Wickramaratne
Sri Lanka Police Headquarters
101/1 Kew Road, Colombo 2
SRI LANKA
Fax: +94 11 244 6174

Ambassador JALIYA WICKRAMASURIYA
Embassy of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
2148 Wyoming Ave. NW
Washington DC 20008
Fax: +1 202 232 7181
Email: slembassy@slembassyusa.org