News
Ministry awaiting results of inquiry where police allegedly prevented media from reporting
The Ministry of Parliamentary Reforms and Mass Media is awaiting results of the inquiry by police into the case where they blocked journalists from reporting court proceedings of the death of the Embilipitiya youth, its secretary M. W. V. Narampanawa said.
The police commenced an inquiry into the incident where police stopped reporters from covering inquest proceedings at the Embilipitiya Magistrate’s Court into the death of the young man identified as Prasanna Jayawardena (29) who fell to his death on January 4 from a building when the police stormed a party he was at.
Reporters complained that their notebooks were taken from them and later returned with pages where they made notes regarding the case, removed.
Mr. Narampanawa said if journalists request a separate investigation into the incident the ministry would get involved in the matter.
“If there is a need then we will carry out an inquiry into this incident. Till then we are awaiting the results of the police investigation,” he said.
Meanwhile, Police Spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekera was shut out from the proceedings of the inquest into the young man’s death as he was accused, by the victim’s family, of getting involved and stopping journalists from covering the court proceedings.
| Editors’ Guild condemns act of taking away journalists’ note books In a media statement, the Editors’ Guild of Sri Lanka, said that it ‘vehemently condemns’ the incident where a police officer at the Embilipitiya Magistrate’s Court took away note books of reporters covering the magisterial inquiry into the controversial death of the young man. This death has resulted in a public outcry for justice within the local community and has generated public interest in general, it stated adding that the Court Sergeant’s high handed act which took place while the magisterial inquiry was in session was cause for further concern and is a matter the Guild will take up separately with the relevant authorities. “The provincial correspondents were performing their legitimate professional duties in the court room. At no stage did the presiding judge either request the journalists to leave the room nor refrain from taking down notes, nor were the proceedings in camera and neither were there sign boards barring journalists from covering the proceedings in open court,” it stated. The Guild added that some of the notebooks were later returned with pages where the proceedings were written, removed. “The magisterial inquiry related to the conduct of the Police in the death of the young man, compounds the wrongful action of the Court Sergeant, who we believe, was acting on the illegal orders of his superior officers who were also in court. “The Guild requests the Government to hold an immediate and impartial inquiry into the matter as it impinges directly on media freedom, the constitutional rights of the journalists to practise their profession, and the rights of the citizens to be informed of a public inquiry into a case that received wide public interest.” |