RSF urges Sri Lanka’s new President to prioritise press freedom
RSF has called on Sri Lanka’s President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, to make press freedom a top priority
The international press freedom organisation, Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has called on Sri Lanka’s newly-elected President, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, to make press freedom a top priority. RSF has proposed five key policy reforms aimed at safeguarding the right to independent information and ensuring the safety of media professionals.
In a press statement, RSF says it has made five key recommendations for improving press freedom in Sri Lanka, urging the government to eradicate impunity for crimes against media professionals by swiftly concluding ongoing cases, repeal the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) used to silence Tamil and Muslim journalists, and repeal the 2024 Online Safety Act, which promotes censorship.
Recommendations adds calling for guarantees of media pluralism and independence through structural reforms of state-funded media to ensure editorial freedom, as well as the protection of journalists’ rights, including safeguarding their sources.
RSF says that Sri Lankan journalists operate in a legally, politically, socially and economically challenging environment, severely restricting citizens’ access to free and independent information.
It adds that media professionals in Sri Lanka face ongoing attacks on their right to inform, with persistent impunity for these abuses. In 2024, the Online Safety Act, which promotes censorship, was enacted alongside the repressive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), both misused to silence journalists.
The statement adds that Dissanayake was elected President of Sri Lanka on September 21, with the country ranked 150th out of 180 in RSF’s 2024 World Press Freedom Index.
Célia Mercier
“There was no improvement to press freedom under former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who came to power after the 2022 uprising. Sri Lanka is in a worrying situation that calls for urgent measures to guarantee journalists can work freely and in safety. RSF calls on the new president to commit to the right to reliable information and the protection of media professionals to further Sri Lanka’s path towards a free press,” says Célia Mercier Head of South Asia Desk of RSF.
