ECONOMYNEXT – The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has requested the Sri Lankan government to support journalists reporting the recent devastation after a deputy minister asked police to use the current Emergency law to arrest individuals criticising the country’s president and political leaders.
Speaking at a meeting with police officers on Wednesday (03), the deputy minister of public security, Sunil Watagala, claimed “malicious attacks” against Sri Lanka’s president, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, and senior ministers were being circulated online.
The IFJ said it along with its affiliate the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA) urges Sri Lanka’s government to honour its pledge to uphold freedom of expression,
“The media has an enormous responsibility to report and deliver professional and ethical news, especially in times of crisis, and the government should continue to support the public’s right to know and its right to freedom of expression,” the global body said.
The statement came two days after deputy minister Watagala warned that if the alleged defamation continued, Sri Lankan authorities would use the Emergency powers to curb ‘misinformation’ during crises.
Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has pledged that the Emergency law would not be used to silence legitimate criticism or dissent.
“The SLWJA has criticised the minister’s proposed directive, as an attempt to suppress freedom of expression under the guise of disaster management,” the IFJ said.
Watagala’s comments came as Sri Lanka is grappling with responding to the devastating impacts of Cyclone Ditwah, which passed through the island nation on November 28, killing at least 486 people and leaving at least 341 missing.
Nearly 1.8 million people have been impacted nationwide, with the president describing the disaster as the most challenging in Sri Lanka’s history.
The IFJ said some media reports had “fallen prey to publishing unverified information, fake news and sensationalist coverage which only served to exacerbate rather than help recovery efforts”.
“The IFJ strongly advises that media workers follow the IFJ Charter on climate action, which emphasises ethical environmental reporting.”
“All information and claims should be thoroughly fact checked before publication to avoid doing further harm or creating undue stress for an already suffering population. So too, journalists should remain vigilant of their own safety in the course of their reporting and reminds that no story is worth dying for.”
IFJ’s local partner Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA strongly condemned the deputy minister’s statement “in the backdrop of several prior instances where the government has threatened media freedom during the past year”. (Colombo/November 05/2025)