New president must protect media, unions:

By  IFJ   Oct 15, 2024

In the weeks since the remarkably peaceful election of centre-left President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, calls to address repressive legislation impacting free expression in Sri Lanka have continued in force.

The IFJ and its affiliates have consistently called on Sri Lankan authorities to review and repeal dangerous legislation like the Online Safety Act (OSA), enacted in January 2024 despite significant opposition from the media and civil society, which have served to undermine freedom of expression and with significant implications for media workers.

The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), almost replaced in 2023 by the previous Wickremasinghe Government’s ‘Anti-Terrorism Act’, has long been used to target human rights defenders and critical voices, seen especially through widespread protests in 2022.

Given the past administration’s heavy-handed approach to media control, there is a growing demand for Dissanayake to take decisive action to repeal these laws and promote a more transparent and democratic environment.

On October 9, Dissanayake’s Cabinet of Ministers, despite rejecting a United Nations Human Rights Council draft resolution which would expand an external accountability mechanism for previous human rights abuses in Sri Lanka, affirmed the government’s commitments to taking action in support of “the rule of law, transparency, accountability and reconciliation”, with a strong focus on rooting out corruption and building the capacity of domestic accountability mechanisms and structures.

As parliamentary elections approach in November, it is hoped that these goals can be achieved with strong support for the media, trade unions, and other human rights defenders.