Lankan publisher to deliver press freedom talk in Dublin

A Sri Lankan newspaper publisher whose brother was shot dead in 2009 will deliver a public lecture to mark World Press Freedom Day in Dublin next month.

Lal Wickrematunge (60) established The Sunday Leader in Colombo with his brother Lasantha as Managing Editor in 1994.

It soon gained a reputation for fearless journalism, with politicians often the targets of its investigative reporting.

Less than a year after it was founded, Lasantha and his wife were attacked and the newspaper was shut. Publication resumed after a legal battle but the brothers were subjected to nine further attacks. The paper’s printing presses were twice burnt down.

Two years ago, Lasantha was shot dead in a high security zone. In an obituary he had prepared for himself, Lasantha held the Government responsible.

“When finally I am killed, it will be the Government that kills me,” it said. “Murder has become the primary tool whereby the State seeks to control the organs of liberty. Today it is the journalists, tomorrow it will be the judges.”

Under the motto ‘Unbowed and Unafraid,’ The Sunday Leader continues to appear. Lasantha Wickrematunge was named a hero of press freedom by the International Press Institute last year.

His brother’s visit to Dublin is being organised by the Press Council of Ireland.

Wickrematunge’s public lecture will take place at TCD on 3 May. Prior registration is essential.