IFEX: Sri Lankan Journalists Receive Death Threats

Thursday, 5 November 2009, 2:21 pm
Press Release: IFEX

Two Sri Lankan editors received death threats on 22 October identical to the one received by journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge weeks before he was murdered in January, report IFEX members. The end of the war has not ensured the safety of the country's journalists.

Editors Frederica Jansz and Munza Mushataq of "The Sunday Leader" received letters handwritten in red ink, postmarked 21 October. They threatened: "If you write anymore, we will kill you and slice you into pieces," say IFEX members. Wickrematunge was the previous editor of the paper.

The death threats came after "The Sunday Leader" published a report on video footage allegedly showing Sri Lankan government soldiers executing Tamil prisoners. The paper published a technical report from the U.S. stating that the video is authentic.

ENDS

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