Freedom of the press in Sri Lanka is guaranteed by Article 14(1)(a) of the Constitution of Sri Lanka which gives every citizen "the freedom of speech and expression including publication". But under some government's there was widespread suppression of the media, particularly those critical of those governments. Sri Lanka is ranked 146 out of 180 countries in Reporters Without Borders's Press Freedom Index for 2022
Freedom House has judged the Sri Lankan press to be Partly free.
Introduction
Although the constitution guarantees free speech it places significant limits on the exercise of this right. Various laws and regulations, such as the Prevention of Terrorism Act 1979 brought in to deal with Tamil militants, have been used by successive governments to suppress freedom of expression. During the JVP insurgency of 1989 and the Sri Lankan civil war, many journalists were killed, assaulted or went missing. 25 journalists were killed between 1999 and 2011. Dozens fled abroad.
Much of the media in Sri Lanka is privately owned. Impunity for threats and violence against journalists and official censorship contributed to self-censorship by almost all media outlets.
The civil war ended in May 2009 and there was a origin of a safe place for journalists, but attacks on the media have reduced but journalists continue to be harassed and intimidated. In 2015, the new Government headed by UNP said that they will assure the Protection of freedom of Press, which had been reduced during the previous Rajapaksa government.
Reporters Without Borders reported in 2010 that, "of the world's democratically-elected governments, Sri Lanka's is the one that respects press freedom least."
Assassinations of journalists
Thevis Guruge, chairman of the state-owned Independent Television Network, was killed on 23 July 1989. His murder had been believed done by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.
Premakeerthi de Alwis, a broadcaster for the state-owned Sri Lanka Rupavahini Corporation, was dragged from his house in Homagama and killed on the night of 31 July 1989. He was killed by Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna.
On the morning of 18 February 1990 Richard de Zoysa, a journalist for the Inter Press Service, was abducted by armed men from his home in Welikadawatte, Colombo. He was found dead the next morning on Koralawella beach in Moratuwa – he had been shot in the head and throat and his jaw broken. De Zoysa is believed to have been murdered by death squads set-up to kill JVP members and their supporters after exposing the killings of students by those death squads.
Rohana Kumara, editor of the Satana newspaper, was shot dead in Pangiriwatte, Colombo on 7 September 1999. The newspaper had been critical of the government and exposed personal and political scandals. Kumara had been harassed by successive governments. It is alleged that President Chandrika Kumaratunga shielded Kumara's murderers.
Atputharajah Nadarajah, editor of the Thinamurasu newspaper and EPDP Member of Parliament, was shot dead in Colombo on 2 November 1999. Thinamurasu is a newspaper published by the EPDP, a government backed paramilitary group. Nadarajah had criticised the EPDP in the newspaper and supported Tamil militants.
Indika Pathinivasan, a camera assistant for Maharaja Television Network, and Anura Priyantha a camera assistant for the state-owned Independent Television Network, were both killed by a suicide bombing at an election rally in Colombo on 18 December 1999. The bombing was aimed at President Chandrika Kumaratunga and is believed to have been the work of the LTTE.
Vasthian Anthony Mariyadas, a freelance radio reporter for the state-owned Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, was shot dead outside St. Anthony's Church, Vavuniya on 31 December 1999. Vavuniya was inside government controlled territory.
Mylvaganam Nimalrajan, a journalist for the Virakesari newspaper, was shot dead at his home in Jaffna on 19 October 2000. Nimalrajan was one of the first journalists to write about the Chemmani mass graves and he exposed vote-rigging and intimidation by the Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), a government backed paramilitary group, during the 2000 parliamentary election. Several EPDP members were arrested but no one has been brought to justice for Nimalrajan's murder due to interference by the government and the security forces.
Aiyathurai Nadesan, a journalist for the Virakesari newspaper, was shot dead in Batticaloa on 31 May 2004. Nadesan had written several articles criticising the government and paramilitary groups. The Karuna faction, a government backed paramilitary group, was blamed for Nadesan's murder.