Professional Documents
Culture Documents
in this issue
On the Ground
wrong lessons and getting more irrational by the day. What do you write about a government that promotes a man into the cabinet who ties civil servants to trees for coming into work late? Faced with such odds a small group of brave grassroots Sri Lankans continue to work to get the truth out. There is the award winning citizen journalism project Groundviews, which continues to attract a very high calibre of writers - despite the Governments intermittent attempts to block the site. Then there is the independent online newspaper Lanka e-news, still going strong despite numerous legal challenges, disappearances and having their office burnt to the ground. Then there is the new initiative Lanka Independent by Sonali Samarsinge Wickrematunge, Lasanthas widow. Carrying on her husbands vision, Lanka Independent brings independent news and a commitment to human rights to all Sri Lankans.
Night of drama with Ice & Fire productions Sri Lankan Media On the Ground
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A Night of Theatre
On the 21 July the Sri Lanka Campaign for Peace and Justice put on a successful benefit night at the Arcola Theatre showcasing Ice & Fires powerful production On the Record (the inspiration for the name of our new monthly newsletter!). The play, using verbatim theatre, told the story of five journalists from Mexico, Sri Lanka, Russia, Israel and the US as they attempted to expose the truth amidst a background of state corruption and human rights abuses. The production followed the story of Sri Lankan journalists, Lasantha Wickrematunge (played by Selva Rasalingam) and his brother Lal (played by Paul Bhattacharjee) and founders of the Sunday Leader showcasing their courageous attempts to expose the corruption and human rights abuses committed under the leadership of Lasantha Wickrematunges one-time friend, President Mahinda Rajapakse. Using testimony collected directly from Wickrematunge when the plays co-writers, Christine Bacon and Noah Birksted-Breen met him in London, the production (and Rasalingam and Bhattacharjees adaptation) captures the pairs infectious humour as they faced increasingly ridiculous censorship by the authorities. After the show Wickrematunges widow, Sonali, addressed the audience in support of the campaign saying, I am delighted that there is such a dedicated, truly non-partisan organisation championing rights, accountability and reconciliation. As demonstrated throughout this newsletter and in a recent report by the Sri Lanka Campaign entitled An Attack on Press Freedom intimidation, torture and abductions are increasingly used by the Sri Lankan Government to silence dissent by journalists. This becomes heartbreakingly apparent as the production heads towards its climax with Wickrematunge acknowledging the ever-increasing danger that surrounded him, making the decision to stand his ground and finally making the greatest sacrifice, his life. Free media serves as a mirror in which the public can see itself sans mascara and styling gel. Sometimes the image you see in that mirror is not a pleasant one. But while you may grumble in the privacy of your armchair, the journalists who hold the mirror up to you do so publicly and at great risk to themselves. That is our calling, and we do not shirk it. Lasantha Wickrematunge
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Sri Lanka
To continue to hold the Government of Sri Lanka to account, we rely on the generosity of members of the public - people like you. We are not affiliated with any political or ethnic group inside or outside Sri Lanka, and we exist to fight for the rights of all those living in Sri Lanka - so for a Sri Lanka Campaign which is not in anybody elses pocket - please dip into your own.
Donate 2 a month and help provide a mobile phone for an independent journalist in Sri Lanka. Donate 3 a month to provide the material to run a university group. Donate 5 a month to pays for an internet connection so we can keep in touch with human rights defenders in fear for their lives. Donate 10 a month to keep our website online. Donate 20 a month to fund research into police torture in Sri Lanka.
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