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82-458: The Sunday Leader was founded in 1994 by brothers Lasantha Wickrematunge and Lal Wickrematunge with the first edition being published on 19 June 1994. The newspaper was associated with silent partner and leading politician and presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake who was assassinated on 24 October 1994. The Sunday Leader was shut down by the Sri Lankan government on 22 May 2000 using

164-487: A Graphologist who said all three letters were written by the same fist. The Sunday Leader carried an article on 13 December 2009 entitled "Gota Ordered Them To Be Shot", alleging that Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa ordered the then commander of the 58 Division , Major General Shavendra Silva , to shoot down the surrendering LTTE leaders during the final days of the Sri Lankan Civil War . Sarath Fonseka ,

246-592: A "Reporter for Wickrematunge" and alleged that he leaked many government and cabinet secrets to him. When Rajapaksa was declared as Leader of the Opposition in Parliament on 6 February 2002 following the appointment of Ranil Wickremasinghe as prime minister, Wickrematunge welcomed him warmly. Rajapaksa, climbed the rungs of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party with struggle, and had to work hard to draw support from

328-487: A diplomatic solution to the conflict. Wickrematunge investigated corrupt military procurement deals and spoke out strongly for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict and continued to debunk what he saw as "government propaganda" on the war. Wickrematunge exposed governmental waste, corruption and excess. Wickrematunge felt that while it was important to eliminate the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam it

410-574: A group of media personnel who were attacked by the police as they covered an opposition rally in Colombo on 15 July 1999. The two men filed a fundamental rights application with the Supreme Court and in October 2001 they were awarded damages of Rs. 86,625 and Rs. 72,750. On the night of 16 October 2005 armed men entered the printing press of Leader Publications, threatened the manager with "dire consequences" if

492-513: A lawsuit for defamation against Wickrematunge and Leader Publications , charging that the allegations made by Wickrematunge against Rajapaksa were defamatory. Rajapaksa asserted that his role of Defense Secretary "had been adversely affected due to Wickrematunge, creating adverse consequences to the war against the rebels in the battlefield." On 5 December 2008, a judge ordered Leader Publications not to publish any reports about Gotabaya Rajapaksa, for two weeks. Several weeks later, Wickrematunge

574-406: A lawyer, practicing as a defense attorney for eight years under Ranjit Abeysuriya . Whilst practicing law, Wickrematunge made his way into the political scene before entering into Journalism starting with The Island and Sun newspapers. Wickrematunge contested in the 1989 Parliamentary election from a Colombo seat with the Sri Lanka Freedom Party and then became the private secretary to

656-574: A leading role in the election supporting Presidential candidate Hector Kobbekaduwa , was wrongfully arrested on false charges and on conspiracy of being a Naxalite and kept in solitary confinement for a period of three months in prison. Wickrematunge who was working at the Sun newspaper as a sub editor, was brought in for questioning by the Criminal Investigation Department over his close ties with Kumaratunga. During interrogation, Wickrematunge

738-415: A phone call on 19 July 2011 after the publication of an article that claimed the president and his son Namal Rajapaksa had received payments from China for use "at their discretion". According to Wickrematunge the president had said: "...if you attack me personally, I will know how to attack you personally too." Editor Frederica Jansz was threatened and insulted by Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa in

820-671: A phone call on 6 July 2012. According to Jansz the Defence Secretary said: "Yes, I threatened you. Your type of journalists are pigs who eat shit!...I will put you in jail!... People will kill you!!! People hate you!!!" In September 2012 Asanga Seneviratne , an ally of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, bought a 72% stake in The Sunday Leader and its sister newspaper the Iruresa . Seneviratne is managing director of Asia Fort Asset Management (Pvt) Ltd and vice president of Sri Lanka Cricket . He

902-489: A private bank account. Wickrematunge's investigation resulted in the Criminal Investigation Department (Sri Lanka) inquiry being brought to a standstill by Chief Justice Sarath Silva , who made an apology to the citizen's of Sri Lanka for ordering the halt of the investigation and allowing Rajapaksa to be elected as president. Relation's between Rajapaksa and Wickrematunge were affected. After Rajapaksa

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984-454: A publication in his newspaper involving then First Lady Shiranthi Rajapaksa . Wickrematunge was detained briefly at Bandaranaike International Airport on 21 February 2006 as he arrived for a flight to Geneva . Airport officials had claimed that Wickrematunge required "special permission" to leave Sri Lanka. In December 2006, an unsuccessful attempt was made to arrest Wickrematunge for "Endangering National Security" after he published

1066-560: A report exposing a Rs. 500 million luxury bunker to be built in the presidential complex in his newspaper. Criminal Investigation Department personnel had consulted Sri Lanka's then Attorney General , on the possibility of detaining Wickrematunge under Emergency Regulations. Wickrematunge addressed the media and a large gathering of supporters outside the premises of The Sunday Leader and stated that he will not seek safe passage overseas and will face arrest and all political oppression levelled against him and "stand unbowed and unafraid". Due to

1148-517: A room and have him shot or he will be stabbed to death!" The threat followed the expose of corruption in Wijesekara's ministry. Lasantha Wickrematunge was threatened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa using abusive language in a telephone call on 11 January 2006. According to Wickrematunge the president had threatened to destroy him saying "Fuck your mother, you son of a bloody whore!...I treated you well all this while. Now I will destroy you". Wickrematunge

1230-400: A statement, "The assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge, in broad daylight on a public road, has sent shock waves of anger, fear and desperation through the country. This deliberate and senseless act ... is part of a wider and worsening strategy to suppress and silence the media." In a statement ahead of World Press Freedom Day former United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called on

1312-648: A thorn in the flesh of the Ranasinghe Premadasa government. Suranimala wrote on issues that were current and was known for his ability to publicize content and documents beyond the control of the government and for publishing intimate details such as what the president was served for dinner. On one occasion, he wrote of President Premadasa's proposals on devolution which had been submitted confidentially. In Wickrematunge's investigation's he had uncovered that "President Premadasa used four different colours of ink" to trace for leaks. Suranimala intentionally mentioned

1394-627: A unique discomfort when discussing him". In August 2007, The Sunday Leader reported on a military contract involving the purchase of Mikoyan MiG-27 Ukrainian fighter aircraft between Gotabaya Rajapaksa, his cousin Udayanga Weeratunga and the Sri Lanka Air Force . On 18 October 2007, attorney-at-law Ali Sabry and lawyers representing Rajapaksa wrote to Wickrematunge threatening to sue him for defamation for LKR2 billion (€14 million) in damages. On 22 February 2008, Rajapaksa filed

1476-575: Is a division of the Sri Lanka Army formed in 2008, prior to which it was known as Task Force 1 from 2007 to 2009. A principal offensive division, it is currently deployed for combat operations in the Wanni region. The Special Forces Brigade has been attached to the division. The Division recaptured the strategically important Pooneryn salient and played a major role in the recapture of the Kilinochchi in

1558-453: Is also president of Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union and controversially appointed President Rajapaksa's son Yoshitha Rajapaksa as captain of the Sri Lanka national rugby union team . The Sunday Leader had published a number of reports exposing Seneviratne's property developments and investment deals. According to editor Frederica Jansz, Seneviratne asked her stop publishing articles critical of

1640-635: Is not in my vocabulary." Not wanting to endanger anyone else, Wickrematunge continuously refused to hire a bodyguard . After the assassination of Wickrematunge, Leader Publications was sold over to a Rajapaksa associate and an unconditional apology was made to Gotabaya Rajapaksa for publishing a series of reports suggesting that he had made corrupt arms deals. During the early 1990s Wickrematunge hosted several popular broadcast television talk shows . Wickrematunge worked for TNL TV where he hosted his own nightly political debating segment. Several years in to his political programs with TNL, Wickrematunge

1722-440: The 2005 Sri Lankan presidential election campaign for Rajapaksa which Wickrematunge declined. In January 2005, Wickrematunge exposed the ‘Helping Hambantota’ scandal and his newspaper continued to cover the scandal for weeks after Wickrematunge investigated and unearthed evidence of Prime Minister Rajapaksa's alleged involvement in transferring over Rs. 80 million of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami relief funds into

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1804-652: The Battle of Kilinochchi and the strategically important Elephant Pass the Gateway to Jaffna . On 15 January, 58 Division gained total control over Dharmapuram, in Kilinochchi District, a key LTTE stronghold located along the A-35 Paranthan – Mullaittivu main road. Troops cleared the area of LTTE fighters. On 28 January, troops from the 58th Division gained control of Vishwamadu town, located south-east of Dharmapuram on

1886-511: The Second Battle of Elephant Pass . The police locked Leader Publications' printing facility and installed armed guards outside the building. Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge subsequently filed a fundamental rights application with the Supreme Court challenging the closure. On 30 June 2000 the Supreme Court ruled that the ban on The Sunday Leader was illegal and ordered the police to re-open

1968-470: The Sirasa television studio complex and destroyed equipment. Wickrematunge arrived at the location with other UNP politicians to condemn the attacks. Wickrematunge made his last public appearance and statement as he condemned the attack on Sirasa and called it an "act of terrorism". Wickrematunge and Mahinda Rajapaksa first met in the early eighties. During the presidency of Chandrika Kumaratunga , Rajapaksa

2050-509: The Sri Lankan Civil War , Wickrematunge was the country's leading critic of the government and war effort and was the target of ongoing political persecution. Wickrematunge was subjected to government sponsored media scrutiny and campaigns depicting him as a "traitor". Wickrematunge condemned and spoke out against the treatment and oppression of the Sri Lankan Tamils and opposed Gotabaya Rajapaksa 's war strategies and continually called for

2132-489: The committee to protect journalists , condemned the incident calling it an "attack on free media". Members of the media and many United National Party members and parliamentarians including then Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremasinghe , visited Wickrematunge's home to stand in solidarity with him. Mangala Samaraweera , addressing the weekly cabinet press briefing, condemned the shooting on Wickrematunge's home. A total of 40 spent T56 anti-tank cartridges were also found outside

2214-628: The Criminal investigation department identified a member of the Tripoli platoon as a suspect. The Tripoli platoon is a Sri Lankan army platoon that was being accused of several crimes during the time of Gotabaya Rajapaksa's term as defense secretary. Inspector General of Police ordered the Criminal investigations department to halt the investigation and transfer the case to the Terrorist investigation division. 58 Division (Sri Lanka) The 58 Division

2296-608: The Sri Lankan government and the Rajapaksa family . She refused and on 21 September 2012 she was sacked as editor. Jansz was replaced by Sakuntala Perera as editor of The Sunday Leader . Seneviratne denies Jansz claims. In 2015 May, The Sunday Leader tendered an unconditional apology to Gotabhaya Rajapaksa for a series of articles regarding the purchase of MIG 27 airplanes for the Sri Lanka Air Force . In 2018 October, The Sunday Leader newspaper and website have suspended operation due to

2378-604: The Wednesday English paper Morning Leader (launched 2005). All three were severely critical towards the government. He reported critically on both the government and the Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels, and the Leader soon became "well known as the island's best independent newspaper". He later stated that once the paper was started, he had intended to return to Law, but found himself unwilling to give up Journalism's excitement. He

2460-486: The allegation and Wickrematunge's close coterie of friends and collegaues have denied this claim. In November 1982, Wickrematunge's friendship with Vijaya Kumaratunga led to the Criminal Investigation Department interrogating him for possible Naxalite connections. During the J. R. Jayewardene Government, several political activists who had supported the opposition candidate during the election were arrested and detained under various charges. Kumaratunga who had played

2542-627: The assailants to be punished and asked his lawyer to drop any charges. However Wickrematunge's lawyers had advised him against it because they told him it would be setting a bad precedent. In June 1998, Wickrematunge began to notice that his home was under surveillance. Wickrematunge reported that a white van with tinted windows was regularly parked outside his family residence. On the night of 17 June 1998, after returning from dinner with his wife and children, Anti-tank bullets were fired at Wickrematunge's residence while his family were inside their home. Many local and international organisations including

The Sunday Leader - Misplaced Pages Continue

2624-499: The attack. Raine later stated that the death threats became part of the routine of their lives: "There were so many threatening calls. 'We are going to kill you. We are going to kill your children.'" In 2002, Wickrematunge's then wife left Sri Lanka due to the constant threats against their family, taking their three children to Australia . Years later after the assault, when the hit men who were subsequently apprehended, Wickrematunge asserted that both he and his wife did not wish for

2706-483: The colour of the ink used in the file copy which led to a crisis in the Presidential Secretariat . At its inception there was a lot of intrigue in Sri Lanka of the identity of Suranamila. Both Wickrematunge as well as his editor therefore maintained confidentiality. Wickrematunge took Suranimala with him when he started The Sunday Leader in 1994. During the Rajapaksa regime and the final stages of

2788-578: The former commander of the Sri Lanka Army , and candidate of the 2010 presidential election who was quoted in the article, initially denied the story, but The Sunday Leader subsequently refuted the denial. The story resulted in Fonseka being charged with ""propagating a false rumour", a violation of emergency regulations . In November 2011 Fonseka was found guilty and sentenced to three years in jail and fined Rs. 5,000. President Mahinda Rajapaksa threatened Leader Publications chairman Lal Wickrematunge in

2870-508: The government media are directly to blame because they incited hatred against him and allowed an outrageous level of impunity to develop as regards violence against the press". President Mahinda Rajapaksa described the assassination as an attempt to discredit the government and said he was both grieved and shocked and stated that he had instructed a thorough police inquiry and called the assassination an "International Conspiracy". The Opposition Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe observed that it

2952-455: The government of Sri Lanka to ensure that those responsible for Lasantha Wickrematunge's murder are found and prosecuted. After denying all responsibility for the attack the Rajapaksa government called for an investigation. Despite intense media pressure, no one was arrested, and Sri Lankan media speculated that the murder investigation may "end up as a cover-up", and that safeguards for an independent media appeared bleak. In January 2010,

3034-533: The government that kills me". Wickrematunge and his newspaper had been highly critical of the government and he had been attacked before. He had been assaulted twice before and his house had been sprayed with machine-gun fire. A number of people including seventeen army personnel were arrested in relation to Wickrematunge's murder but later released. To date no one has been brought to justice for Wickrematunge's murder. On February 16, 2013 Sunday Leader's Faraz Shauketally, who holds dual British and Sri Lankan citizenship,

3116-463: The island's main press freedom organisation, the Free Media Movement (FMM), said they suspected the attack was linked to her work. Lasantha Wickrematunge Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge ( Sinhala : ලසන්ත වික්‍රමතුංග , Tamil : லசந்த விக்கிரமதுங்க ; 5 April 1958 - 8 January 2009) was a high-profile Sri Lankan journalist, politician , broadcaster , and human rights activist who

3198-483: The issues faced by vulnerable populations and expressed his agitation against state terrorism. In addition to his contributions to marginalized communities, Wickrematunge actively spoke out against Sri Lanka's poverty and economic inequality. Wickrematunge largely impacted his Tamil audience who felt he supported and articulated their issues. The Leader was particularly critical in its coverage of President Mahinda Rajapaksa . In 2008, Mahinda Rajapaksa, furious over

3280-457: The killing, pledging to do everything in its power to catch his killers. Wickrematunge had been on Amnesty International 's endangered list since 1998, when anti-tank shells were fired on his house. Lasantha Wickrematunge was the youngest of six born in Kotahena Colombo, to Chandra and Harris Wickrematunge, a prominent politician, who had served as a Municipal Councillor for 30 years and

3362-541: The morning where he had been followed by Sri Lanka's intelligence services. The claim alleged Wickrematunge was followed and seen entering the home of a foreign agent after his meeting with then president Mahinda Rajapaksa . The government had suspected Wickrematunge of revealing information disclosed to him by the president to intelligence agents of a foreign government from this visit. The indications of Wickrematunge working as an espionage were however unsubstantiated and there has never been any evidence presented that supported

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3444-554: The nearest police station. No one knows what happened." Lord Malloch-Brown Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office , said in a statement to the UK Parliament that the British government condemned the killing of Wickrematunge and said that it was the duty of the authorities to take prompt action into these incidents: We condemn such brazen attacks. Of particular concern

3526-481: The newspaper immediately. On 5 September 2000 Lasantha Wickrematunge was found guilty of criminally defaming Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga in 1995 article in The Sunday Leader . Wickrematunge was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for five years. Government minister Mahinda Wijesekara threatened to kill Lasantha Wickrematunge in Parliament on 27 July 2003, saying: "Very soon I'll put him in

3608-466: The newspapers continued to be printed and then set fire to bundles of newspapers. The attack came after The Sunday Leader had published an article which alleged that Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had misappropriated tsunami relief funds. The printing press of Leader Publications in Ratmalana was burnt down on 21 November 2007 by a group of armed masked men who entered the building, poured petrol on

3690-421: The paper's reporting, called Wickrematunge and shouted at him that "I will destroy you" if the paper's coverage did not change; the president had also described him as a "terrorist journalist". In the weeks before Wickrematunge's death, a funeral wreath was delivered to him, as well as a copy of the newspaper reading "If you write you will be killed" in red paint. Wickrematunge was quoted as saying "The word fear

3772-489: The party's grassroots level. Wickrematunge was among those who helped Rajapaksa come up in to power during this difficult phase in his political career. After Wickrematunge's assassination in 2009, an ally of Rajapaksa said that "It was Lasantha, and Maithripala Sirisena who worked hard to make him Prime Minister in 2004, when President Kumaratunga tried to give it to Lakshman Kadirgamar ." In late 2004, Basil Rajapaksa had approached Wickrematunge to join and help him run

3854-643: The political turmoil in Sri Lanka after the removal of the Prime Minister by the President. The Sunday Leader and its employees have been subject to numerous attacks since its foundation in 1994. Lasantha Wickrematunge was assaulted on his way home in 1994. On 7 February 1995 Lasantha Wickrematunge and his ex-wife were pulled from their car and beaten. On the night of 18 June 1998 Lasantha Wickrematunge's house in Nugegoda

3936-470: The presidential complex. Journalist Arthur Wamanan Sornalingam and his mother were arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department on 24 October 2007 following a complaint from government minister Mano Wijeyeratne . The arrest followed an article in The Sunday Leader which alleged that a government department had paid Wijeyeratne's wife's mobile phone bill. Investigative editor Dilrukshi Handunetti

4018-473: The printing machines and set fire to them. The attack came after The Morning Leader had been critical of the Asian Tribune 's relationship with a government backed paramilitary group. Lasantha Wickrematunge was shot dead on 8 January 2009 in Colombo. Three days later an editorial appeared in The Sunday Leader written by Wickrematunge before his death in which he predicted his own murder, stating "it will be

4100-466: The public outcry and pressure on the Government by the country's Opposition Party and local and international Human Rights organisations, an arrest was not made. The printing press of Leader Publications was destroyed in 2007 by an armed gang who stormed the building on the outskirts of Colombo and set the printing press machines on fire. At least 12 masked men carrying T-56 automatic weapons threatened

4182-450: The recently passed censorship law – the Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions and Powers) Regulation No.1 of 2000 . The government's chief censor Ariya Rubasinghe had ordered that the newspaper cease publication for six months (22 May 2000 to 21 November 2000) following an article in the paper which mocked the country's censorship of the military situation imposed after the embarrassing defeat in

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4264-431: The reputation of the country was being ruined by the assassination of Wickrematunge. The United National Party , Sri Lanka's main opposition party, staged a demonstration in parliament on 9 January to protest his assassination and Mangala Samaraweera called Wickrematunge's murder an "insoluble bloodstain in our national history" and apologized to Sri Lanka for "bringing this dark regime into power," The assassination

4346-493: The residence. Wickrematunge said that receiving threats was not unusual for him, and that such threats would come in often times during his TV programme telecast on TNL TV which he hosted. On 5 September 2000, Lasantha Wickrematunge was found guilty of criminally defaming Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga in a 1995 article in The Sunday Leader . Wickrematunge was sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for five years. In January 2005, Wickrematunge exposed

4428-427: The staff at the building and set it on fire. In 2008, Rajapaksa asked his physician Eliyantha White to speak to Wickrematunge in hopes of a reconciliation. In October 2008, Mahinda Rajapaksa called Wickrematunge a "terrorist journalist" in an interview. Rajapaksa made these comments to Reporters Without Borders . On 6 January 2009 just two days before Wickrematunge's assassination, armed assailants broke into

4510-611: The tapping of phones including that of several high-ranking politicians in the opposition and the phone of Wickrematunge on the basis of "National Security". Allegations that Wickrematunge had worked as an espionage agent for Indian intelligence outfit the Research & Analysis Wing , circulated after it was reported that Wickrematunge had been seen meeting a diplomat attached to the Indian High Commission in Colombo at 1:00 in

4592-662: The world's first female prime minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike . Wickrematunge then crossed parties moving to the United National Party and was advisor to Ranil Wickremasinghe . In 1994 Wickrematunge started the Sunday Leader with his brother Lal Wickrematunge . In addition to Sunday Leader, Wickrematunge was the Editorial Board Director for the Sinhalese Sunday newspaper Iruresa (launched 2004) and

4674-443: The ‘Helping Hambantota’ scandal in The Sunday Leader . The relationship between Wickrematunge and Mahinda Rajapaksa was strained. Wickrematunge was threatened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa with whom he had a close personal friendship with for over 20 years. Wickrematunge was allegedly abused in foul language in a telephone call on 11 January 2006. According to Wickrematunge, the President had threatened to "destroy him" over

4756-528: Was a minister of the Kumaratunga government. Wickrematunge would meet with Rajapaksa in secret, late at night and in the early hours of the morning when he knew he would not be followed. Wickrematunge and Rajapaksa would have several intimate meetings weekly. Rajapaksa claimed that Wickrematunge was "one of his very good friends" and that they met often, usually around "midnight". President Kumaratunga who later became aware of these meetings referred to Rajapaksa as

4838-448: Was accused of being a Naxalite based on his relationship with Kumaratunga. The interrogation led Wickrematunge to quit his job at the Sun newspaper. On 7 February 1995, masked assailants pulled Wickrematunge and his first wife Raine out of their car and attacked them with clubs. Wickrematunge's wife jumped over his body as he was being assaulted to protect him and they were both injured in

4920-574: Was also a writer for Time magazine at this time and was a political commentator while he hosted his broadcast programs including Good Morning Sri Lanka . At the height of his career Wickrematunge was feared by senior ministers and the most powerful in the nation and political leaders on both sides at various times sought to persuade Wickrematunge into accepting political positions by offering him ministries of his choice. The paper quickly drew threats and attacks for its reporting on corruption by government ministers. From 1994-2005, Wickrematunge

5002-410: Was also stated at this time that both Wickrematunge and President Rajapaksa had discussed coming together after the war in order to work towards "national unity". After Wickrematunge's assassination, a political figure connected to both President Rajapaksa and Wickrematunge stated that "President Rajapaksa was deeply stunned and affected by the death of Wickrematunge for several days and still displays

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5084-538: Was an ardent critic of the Chandrika Kumaratunga government. In 2000, Wickrematunge conducted an investigation into Kumartunga's education qualifications. Kumaratunga's curriculum vitae had stated that she was an alumna of the Sorbonne University . Wickrematunge challenged Kumaratunga to release her documentations of certification and went on to publish a letter from the university that stated Kumaratunga

5166-645: Was asked by MTV Channel (owned by the Maharajah Group) to host Good Morning Sri Lanka which he hosted till 2007. In the late eighties, Lasantha Wickrematunge while working for Sirimavo Bandaranaike started a whistleblower column in The Sunday Times (Sri Lanka) using the pseudonym " Suranimala ". Wickrematunge concealed his identity as Suranimala and soon it became the most widely read political column in any newspaper in Sri Lanka for its explosive, investigative revelations and Suranimala quickly became

5248-432: Was assassinated days before he was to testify and give evidence in court. Wickrematunge was shot while he was on his way to work around 10:30 a.m on 8 January 2009, a few days before he was supposed to give evidence against Gotabaya Rajapaksa 's alleged corruption in arms deals before a judge. Four armed assassins riding motorcycles blocked Wickrematunge's vehicle before breaking open his window and shooting him. He

5330-572: Was assassinated in January 2009. Wickrematunge was the founder of The Sunday Leader newspaper and Leader Publications and was a virulent critic of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government, and had been locked in a legal battle with Gotabaya Rajapaksa , who was defense secretary at the time and was spearheading the battle against the LTTE rebels. His assassination sent shockwaves across the country, as he

5412-473: Was attacked with Type 56 assault rifles causing extensive damage and narrowly missing Wickrematunge's driver. The attack came after The Sunday Leader exposed irregular financial dealings between Minister of Posts, Telecommunication and the Media Mangala Samaraweera and Sri Lanka Telecom CEO Kamitsumo. Two photographers for The Sunday Leader , Lakmal Spencer and Ashoka Fernando, were amongst

5494-743: Was condemned by Norway , the United States , the United Kingdom , the European Union , India and Japan , the United Nations strongly condemned the assassination while the World Bank expressed its concerns over the attack. President Mahinda Rajapaksa told Time about Wickrematunge: "He was a good friend of mine. He had informed somebody to inform me that he was in danger. But unfortunately, I didn't get that message. I would have told him to go to

5576-444: Was detained briefly at Bandaranaike International Airport on 21 February 2006 as he arrived for a flight to Geneva . Airport officials had claimed that Wickrematunge required "special permission" to leave Sri Lanka. In late December 2006 an unsuccessful attempt was made to arrest Lasantha Wickrematunge for "endangering national security" after The Sunday Leader published a report exposing a Rs. 500 million luxury bunker to be built in

5658-1014: Was elected president in November of that year, the hostility between Wickrematunge and Rajapaksa increased after the President was wrongly informed by a diplomat that " The Sunday Leader was most likely to be the newspaper that would carry a story regarding an alleged visit by the President and his wife to a Hindu temple in India ". Wickrematunge filed a police complaint against Rajapaksa and published Rajapaksa's threats to him. Rajapaksa and Wickrematunge were from then on sworn enemies and Leader Publications continued week after week to splash investigative stories of alleged corruption in Rajapaksa's government.    In 2008, Rajapaksa desired to reconcile with Wickrematunge and requested his physician Lindsay Eliyantha White to help bring both Wickrematunge and himself back together again. The two had then met and spoken. It

5740-556: Was forced to hand over documents relating to the article to the police. Sornalingam subsequently filed a fundamental rights application with the Supreme Court in relation to the arrest. On 5 December 2008 a judge ordered Leader Publications not to publish any reports about Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa , brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa, for two weeks. Gotabhaya had gone to the courts to sue Leader Publications for Rs. 2 billion (€14 million) in damages for publishing "slanderous" reports about him. Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge

5822-473: Was former Deputy Mayor . Wickrematunge was the grandnephew of George E. de Silva and Agnes de Silva , cousin of Minnette de Silva , Fredrick de Silva and Desmond de Silva . In his childhood, Wickrematunge attended St Benedict's College . He spent his adolescence in Britain, where he graduated high school and eventually returned to Sri Lanka, where he started law school. Wickrematunge began his career as

5904-432: Was important also to respect the lives and rights of Tamil civilians. Wickrematunge was one of the country's only leading figures to speak out against the Sri Lankan government during the time of war and began to be viewed as "the single biggest stumbling block to all out massacre in the north". Throughout the course of his career, Wickrematunge was under frequent surveillance by the Sri Lankan government's intelligence and

5986-425: Was invaded by five armed men who held her at knifepoint as they searched her home before police burst in and shot one of the intruders dead, officials said. Police spokesman Buddhika Siriwardena said three officers were injured when the intruders attacked them with knives. "One intruder was shot dead and the other four have been arrested," he said. Police described the pre-dawn intrusion as an attempted armed robbery but

6068-470: Was never registered as a student. In May 2000, the government of Kumaratunga closed down the Sunday Leader after military setbacks in the war against LTTE in the north of the country. Wickrematunge filed a fundamental rights application with the Supreme Court , fought the closure and secured a court victory striking down the law allowing government to curb the fourth estate. In 2006, after Kumaratunga

6150-524: Was one of the nation's most influential journalists and most-well-known political figures and raised questions about freedom of expression in the country. Wickrematunge's murder was widely condemned across the world. The Daily Mirror called it the "biggest blow" to media freedom in Sri Lanka , and the Editors Guild held the government responsible for the killing as it has failed to stop attacks against media personnel. The government also expressed shock at

6232-460: Was ousted as President, she went on to form a friendship with Wickrematunge. In the final stages of the civil war, Wickrematunge was a key figure in the human rights movement. Wickrematunge was known for his trademark phrase "unbowed and unafraid" inspired from the Invictus poem by William Ernest Henley which he used as his motto and philosophy. Wickrematunge was vocal about his frustrations by

6314-508: Was part of an anti-democratic conspiracy and accused the government of attempting to silence its critics. On 9 January, Wickremesinghe stated in Parliament that elements of the state intelligence apparatus were responsible for Wickrematunge's murder, claiming that the military units that carried out the assassination were effectively not under the control of the Cabinet. Wickremasinghe went on to say that military forces members were shocked and felt

6396-524: Was rushed to hospital after being shot in the neck. Shauketally was on the phone to a colleague at the Sunday Leader on Friday evening at his home in Mount Lavinia when the call was cut. Shortly afterwards he answered a call and said he had been shot in the neck by three intruders, who had then escaped. President Rajapaksa said he would investigate the incident but nobody was apprehended. On the 24th of August 2013 Journalist Mandana Ismail Abeywickrema's house

6478-409: Was shot dead on 8 January 2009. Frederica Jansz became editor of the newspaper following Wickrematunge's murder. On 22 October 2009 Jansz News Editor Munza Mushtaq were sent handwritten death threats through the post. "We will slice you up if you do not stop your writing," the letters threatened. Jansz told Reporters Without Borders Wickrematunge had been sent an identical letter which was compared by

6560-590: Was subject to phone tapping and regularly being trailed. Speaking to a media outlet, Wickrematunge said, "I consider these incidents an occupational hazard. They only strengthen my resolve to continue with my work". In 2008 Wickrematunge's name was added to a "Traitor list" that was published on the Defense Ministry's official website and State Intelligence Service (Sri Lanka) began surveilling Wickrematunge's phone lines. Intelligence Service documents leaked to media outlets alleged that Gotabaya Rajapaksa ordered

6642-706: Was taken to the Colombo South Teaching Hospital . It was initially planned with a helicopter on standby to transfer him to the Colombo National Hospital . A specialist team of 20 medical personnel were called in for the surgery. Despite surgery lasting nearly three hours, Wickrematunge died from his head wounds. Wickrematunge's assassination caused an international outcry. Reporters Without Borders said that "Sri Lanka has lost its more talented, courageous, and iconoclastic journalists", and said that "President Mahinda Rajapaksa , his associates and

6724-512: Was the murder, on 8 January, of the Chief Editor of The Sunday Leader newspaper, Lasantha Wickrematunge. The Sri Lankan authorities have a duty to take prompt action to ensure that a thorough and independent investigation is carried out. Sri Lankan church leaders voiced their concerns over the attack and the ethnic violence in the Island nation. Anglican Bishop Duleep de Chickera of Colombo said in

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