Lasantha Wickrematunge

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Peter Sandbichler : unbowed and unafraid (2009) - Billboard with a portrait of Lasantha Wickrematunge in the area of ​​the Museumsquartier in Vienna

Lasantha Wickrematunge ( Sinhala ලසන්ත වික්‍රමතුංග ; Tamil லசந்த விக்கிரமதுங்க ) (born April 5, 1958 in Dehiwela , † January 8, 2009 in Colombo ) was a Sri Lankan journalist and editor of the English-language newspaper "The Sunday Leader", which he founded.

Career

Wickrematunge attended St. Benedict's College in Kotahena . In addition to his work as a journalist, he was also a lawyer.

Wickrematunge became known for his critical political articles in which he exposed the corruption scandals of the state apparatus and criticized the uncompromising approach of the army against the " Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam " (LTTE). Defense Minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa , brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa , was also accused of corruption. A defamation suit against Wickrematunge by the Defense Minister was still pending when he died. Although he was in close contact with the president of the country himself, he criticized his work in "The Sunday Leader".

On January 8, 2009 at around 10:30 am, Wickrematunge, who had received several death threats, was shot on the street 12 km south of Colombo on the way to work and died a few hours later in hospital. The murderers were not caught.

Wickrematunge was married and had three children.

Reactions

In the Sri Lankan Parliament on January 9, 2009, there was a demonstration by members of the opposition United National Party (UNP), who put up posters accusing the government of being responsible for Wickrematunge's death. This interrupted the meetings. The human rights organization Human Rights Watch criticized the government for its inability to catch the perpetrators, thereby creating a "culture of impunity". The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on the ambassadors in Colombo to speak to the government and demand an end to the attacks on the media. The US, EU, India and the World Bank also voiced criticism, calling the incident an "attempt to silence independent voices in Sri Lanka" .

An article by Wickrematunge was posthumously published in The Sunday Leader on January 11, 2009 , in which he prophesied that his assassination would be carried out with government assistance. In the same year he was awarded the Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize by UNESCO .

swell

  1. ↑ Sarath Malalasekera and Rafik Jalaldeen: Sunday Leader Editor shot dead ( Memento of the original from January 16, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. in: Daily News of January 9, 2009 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.dailynews.lk
  2. ↑ Jochen Buchsteiner: Conspiracy theories in Sri Lanka in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung from January 14, 2009
  3. ↑ a b Oliver Meiler: Journalist critical of the government shot dead in: Tages-Anzeiger from January 9, 2009
  4. ^ A b c Concern about freedom of the press in Sri Lanka in: Deutsche Welle, January 9, 2009
  5. ^ Journalist murdered in: Wiener Zeitung of January 9, 2009 (accessed November 21, 2013)
  6. ↑ Xiong: Sri Lankan parliament adjourned following opposition's protest in: China View ( Memento of the original of December 23, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.chinaview.cn archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. from January 9, 2009
  7. ↑ Lasantha Wickrematunge: When they got me (excerpt) in: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung from January 15, 2009
personal data
SURNAME Wickrematunge, Lasantha
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Sri Lankan journalist
DATE OF BIRTH April 5, 1958
PLACE OF BIRTH Dehiwela
DATE OF DEATH January 8, 2009
Place of death Colombo