Colombo (AsiaNews) - Journalists, opposition politicians and civil society representatives called on the government for actions against the perpetrators of the assassination of journalist Lasantha Wickramatunga, and greater guarantees for freedom of expression. The protest was held January 18 in front of the train station in Colombo. More than 100 demonstrators held signs with slogans in Tamil, Sinhala and English: " One year since Prageeth's disappearance" "Two years since Lasantha assassinated ", "do we allow injustice." The event was organized by the Alliance of Media Organizations.
Ganasiri Koththigoda, President of Sri Lanka Working Journalists' Association (Slwja), told AsiaNews that the month of January is very significant in the history of media repression. Because "6 January 2009, the Sirasa TV studio was destroyed. Two days later, on 8 January, the editor of the Sunday Leader newspaper Lasantha Wickramatunga was brutally killed. And, the political journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared January 24, 2010. "
The event was also attended by opposition politician Wickramabahu Senevirathna, who said: "Mahinda Rajapaksa says there is media freedom and freedom to protest. But when media people are attacked police is help less . No one is arrested for the killings and attacks. Lasantha was killed in broad day light but no one is caught after two years. this shows that these killers are guarded by the state. We must defeat state terrorism. things are worse in Tamil areas. Even Lasantha was killed for speaking on war against Tamils".