Sri Lanka's media crackdown

It was definitely a slow and steady slide into a stifling reporting that the government does not like. Since the end of the war in May 2009, there has been a very definite slide, a very definite take over, or state control, of all media outlets, and that includes independently, or privately owned media. The Sunday Leader actually is a classic example of what happened.” the former Sunday Leader editor Frederica Jansz told Aljazeera Listening Post.

In an interview with Aljazeera she said; “The level of intimidation, the harassment has continued, they have continued to call journalists traitors. Lawyers appearing for me, and the Sunday Leader, were termed, or called terrorists and traitors. And you know, in the back drop of all that had happened to me …. I was told, and I actually began to finally believe it, that my life was very seriously under threat. So yes, I made up my mind, I have young children, that my sons need a mum and not a heroine.”

Frederica Jansz, who was sacked from her post as Editor in Chief at The Sunday Leader in September this year is learnt to have left Sri Lanka together with her two sons having been granted refuge by a powerful nation currently pushing to hold the Sri Lankan government accountable for possible war crimes and other human right abuses including abuses of media freedoms and stifling the press

In the backdrop of what has been described by international media organizations as an alarming trend in stifling freedom of expression and independent reportage, Frederica has left Sri Lanka after she came
under increasing pressure and continued persecution by the Rajapaksa dominated government.