U.S. calls for Sri Lanka to investigate attacks on press

The United States on Tuesday (30 April) said it remains extremely concerned about threats to freedom of expression in Sri Lanka and urged the Sri Lankan authorities to conduct thorough investigations into all attacks and killings of journalists and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“The United States calls on Sri Lankan authorities to demonstrate their commitment to the rule of law and freedom of expression by conducting thorough investigations into all attacks and killings of journalists and bringing the perpetrators to justice,” U.S. State Department spokesperson Patrick Ventrell told the media at the press briefing Tuesday.

“The necessity of upholding this fundamental right was not only a component of the UN Human Rights Council resolution in Geneva this March, but it was a central recommendation of the Sri Lankan Government’s own Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission,” the spokesperson pointed out.

Continuing on the ‘Free the Press’ campaign, Ventrell highlighted the repeated attacks on Sri Lanka’s Tamil daily Uthayan which sustained severe damage to its printing machines in a recent arson attack, in addition to attacks on the newspaper’s personnel last month.