BBC reports on the killing of Sunday Leader editor were censored by the government of Sri Lanka.


Media minister
Media minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa

Sections of a statement given by the Media minister Anura Priyadharshana Yapa were among the sections blanked out by the government censorship.

The BBC Sandeshaya and BBC Thamilosai reports that included comments from colleagues of the slain editor and the politicians of the government and the opposition were blanked out by the Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation (SLBC).

newspaper editors among the victims

In the censored segment of the programme, there were quotes from international organisations and the leader of the opposition blaming the government for not being able to prevent attacks on media.

The interviews depicting the feelings of fellow newspaper editors were also blanked out, Irida Divaina editor Gamini Sumanasekera, Ravaya editor K. W. Janaranjana, Lanka editor Chandana Sirmalwatte and the Chairman of Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association Sanath Balasuriya were among the victims of government censorship of the BBC.

There is no declared censorship imposed in Sri Lanka for local or foreign media.

No official censorship

The BBC had received many telephone inquiries from listeners who were intrigued why the government needed to censor the reports of Lasantha Wickramatunga assassination.

Government denied any involvement in the killing.

The BBC reports on the attack on the MTV/Sirasa station were also taken off air by the authrities in Sri Lanka.

Since November 27th where the SLBC blanked out reports on the annual speech by Tamil Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran, the government has blanked out certain reports by the BBC Sinhala and Tamil output, amidst protests by media watchdogs.

The BBC first entered a rebroadcasting agreement with the SLBC in the late nineties.