Press freedom advocates are once again calling on Sri Lanka to confront its ongoing issue of impunity in journalist killings, following the recent decision to drop charges against key suspects in the 2009 murder of investigative journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) criticized the country’s failure to secure accountability for Wickrematunge’s extrajudicial killing, urging President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to fulfill his commitment to justice for the press.
Wickrematunge, the editor-in-chief of The Sunday Leader, was a vocal critic of the Sri Lankan government, known for his reporting on corruption and human rights abuses. On January 8, 2009, he was ambushed in broad daylight by armed assailants while on his way to work in Colombo. Despite his injuries, Wickrematunge died hours later in the hospital. His assassination remains unsolved, with no convictions despite years of investigation and mounting international pressure.
Wickrematunge’s daughter, Ahimsa, filed a lawsuit in 2019 against Gotabaya Rajapaksa, then Sri Lanka’s defense secretary, accusing him of orchestrating the murder. However, a U.S. court dismissed the case on grounds of immunity, and Rajapaksa has denied any involvement. In 2022, investigator Nishantha Silva presented evidence linking Rajapaksa to the crime during a tribunal in The Hague, but legal actions have failed to yield meaningful outcomes.
CPJ Asia Program Coordinator Beh Lih Yi condemned the Sri Lankan Attorney General’s decision to drop the charges, calling it a “deeply troubling” move that further entrenches the country’s alarming record of impunity for crimes against journalists. Wickrematunge had, in fact, predicted his own death in a posthumous editorial, underscoring the perilous environment for media professionals in Sri Lanka.
The failure to bring justice for Wickrematunge is part of a broader pattern of unresolved crimes against journalists in Sri Lanka, particularly during and after the country’s civil war. Despite several investigations, numerous abductions and killings of journalists have gone unpunished.
International law, including provisions under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), guarantees the right to life and freedom of expression, calling on governments to prevent unlawful killings and protect journalists. The UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists further stresses the need for states to implement effective measures to prevent violence against media workers and ensure those responsible for such acts are held accountable.
As the calls for justice grow louder, the pressure mounts on Sri Lankan authorities to break the cycle of impunity and ensure that journalists, like Lasantha Wickrematunge, can report freely and safely, without fear of retribution.
