Sri Lanka: President threatens newspaper chairman by phone

August 4th, 2011

On Tuesday it was reported that Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa threatened the chairman of The Sunday Leader, Lal Wickrematunge, by phone on 19 July. In response to an article that claimed China had given the president and his son millions of dollars to be used “at their discretion”, Rajapaksa reportedly told Wickrematunge, “you can attack me politically, but if you attack me personally, I will know how to attack you personally too.” The Sunday Leader is Sri Lanka’s only independent English-language newspaper, and has long been targeted by the government. The paper claims the 2009 murder of its former head, Lasantha Wickematunge (Lal’s brother), was never investigated fully.

Sri Lanka: After Lasantha

January 8th, 2010

Lal Wickrematunge’s brother, Lasantha, was murdered one year ago. Here he assesses the ongoing cost of the war in Sri Lanka
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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AWARD 2009 RECIPIENTS ANNOUNCED

April 21st, 2009

The winners of the 2009 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards were announced last night at a ceremony at Kings Place, London
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Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards 2009: Lal Wickrematunge

April 20th, 2009

Sri Lankan newspaper the Sunday Leader has been nominated for the Guardian Journalism award at the 2009 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Awards. The awards will be presented on 21 April in London.

In advance of the awards ceremony,
Sunday Leader editor Lal Wickrematunge was interviewed on 19 April by the BBC World Service’s The World Today. He spoke movingly about the assassination of his brother Lasantha and the future of Sri Lanka.
You can listen to the interview here

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