RSF urges President’s intervention
[25 May 2000]

Reporters Sans Frontieres (RSF) protested against the suspension of three private newspapers and threats to close down a television broadcaster in a letter sent yesterday to the President of Sri Lanka, Chandrika Bandaranayake Kumarathunge.

The head of state has the power to lift sanctions against media accused of violating the restrictions imposed by the government on May 03^rd with the intension of protecting ‘the national security’ according to the law.

Recalling that BBC programmes have been suspended since May 11, RSF asked the president to drop the sanctions against the newspapers and the British station. The Organization also asked her to withdraw the measures, which permits a news blackout taken on 03^rd of May. The RSF Secretary, Robert Menard underlined that those measures and the sanctions taken against the media were “in contradiction with the International Covenants on Political and Civil Rights, ratified by the Sri Lanka government, which guarantees freedom of expression”.  

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