Sri Lanka: RSF outlines four key priorities for the new government to strengthen press freedom

National People's Power (NPP) coalition, led by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) — the party of new President Anura Kumara Dissanayake — won the general election on 14 November with a two-thirds majority of seats in parliament.

The president’s party is now in a strategic position to carry out transformative reforms in a country marked by persistent impunity for crimes against journalists, and where repressive laws threaten press freedom. The new government must embark on structural reforms, repeal laws conducive to censorship, and establish genuine protections for journalists, particularly those from Tamil and Muslim minorities.

In its election manifesto, the NPP pledged to "... preventing the deliberate and strategic misuse of the mass media” by the political establishment. “By positioning mass media, journalists, and the audience as catalysts for social, political, economic, and cultural renewal ,” the NPP pledges to ensure “technical support and [safeguard] the professional integrity of journalists..” The party has declared its support for “the right of people to access truthful and accurate information” and the “freedom and independence of the media.”

RSF calls on the new government to turn its promises into concrete action, and proposes four priority areas for action :

• End impunity for crimes against journalists

At least 25 journalists were killed or disappeared between 2004 and 2010 in Sri Lanka, many of them reporting on the armed conflict between the government and Tamil separatists for Tamil media. To date, none of the perpetrators of these crimes have been prosecuted. The National People's Power (NPP) manifesto promises to promptly complete  “investigations into political killings and abductions of journalists [...] that have not been solved for a long time and [implement] the law against the criminals.” Transparent and diligent investigations must be carried out to break the cycle of impunity.

• Abolish repressive laws

RSF calls on the new government to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as promised in the NPP’s manifesto, as well as the Online Security Act (OSA), a law adopted in January 2024 that acts as a dangerous tool for imposing censorship.

• Revise authoritarian  bills — especially the Electronic Media Broadcasting Authority Bill.

This controversial bill provides for the creation of a regulatory authority subject to political interference and a system where media licences are renewed each year, encouraging self-censorship.

The anti-terrorism bill, designed to replace the PTA, poses entirely new threats by restricting the means of expression, such as banning publications deemed “critical’.” RSF calls for a thorough revision of the text to protect journalistic content.

• Put an end to the misuse of the ICCPR law

Sri Lanka's International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act has often been used to silence dissenting voices. For example, in June 2019, journalist Kusal Perera was investigated under the ICCPR Act for an article published in the Daily Mirror. RSF urges the government to stop using this law as a tool to restrict media freedom, and ensure that journalists can carry out their work without fear of reprisalsa safe environment for journalists.

Between 2023 and 2024, Sri Lanka dropped from 135th to 150th place out of 180 countries and territories  in RSF's World Press Freedom Index.