![]() April 22 marks the anniversary of the birth of the modern green movement in 1970. Read More |


Monday, 20 February 2017 11:41

Five arrested military intelligence officers are suspected of killing prominent anti-establishment newspaper editor.
Sri Lankan police have arrested five military intelligence officers on suspicion of killing a well-known anti-establishment newspaper editor and orchestrating attacks on other journalists and dissidents under the former regime, according to a legal source.
Lasantha Wickrematunge, a sharp critic of ex-President Mahinda Rajapakse, was assasinated by unidentified gunmen while driving to work in the capital Colombo in January 2009.
His killing sparked an international outcry and shone a spotlight on violence against members of the press in Sri Lanka.
The source involved with the investigation said on Monday the five men were taken into custody over the weekend - initially over the May 2008 abduction of journalist Keith Noyahr, who had criticised military leaders.
"Detectives have found evidence to show that the group which abducted Noyahr was also involved in the assassination of Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge and several other attacks," the source told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity.
Detectives told a magistrate on Sunday that the five accused had operated a military death squad led by a top defence official who has not yet been named.
More senior people are likely to be arrested in the coming months, the source said.
Reaction to arrests
Free Media Movement, a rights group, gave a cautious welcome to the arrests, urging the government to ensure an independent investigation into the allegations and resist "undue influence" from the powerful military.
President Maithripala Sirisena has publicly criticised police for holding military suspects for long periods, and another group of army intelligence officers arrested in 2015 over the abduction of cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda was later given bail and reinstated.
Rajapakse, the former president, and several members of his family are under investigation for large-scale financial fraud and murder during his 10 years as president, in which 17 journalists and media workers were killed.
All deny any wrongdoing and in turn accuse the new government of a political vendetta.
Wickrematunge, an investigative journalist who wrote about corruption, had accused Rajapakse's defence secretary and brother Gotabhaya of taking kickbacks in arms purchases, and was due to testify in court when he was killed.
He was attacked with sharp objects by a group of men on motorcycles who blocked his vehicle.
Wickrematunge's remains were exhumed in September under a court order after police investigators sought permission for a new examination due to contradictory medical and post mortem examination reports..
A retired army intelligence officer was found hanging at his home in October with a note claiming responsibility for the journalist's death.
But police have said they do not believe the claim and are treating the officer's death as a murder.
< Prev | Next > |
---|
Most Read News
- Iraq launches 'deadly strikes' against ISIL inside Syria
- ISIL given '48 hours' to evacuate area south of Damascus
- Khalifa Haftar's chief of staff survives assassination attempt
- Child marriage on the rise among Syrian refugee girls in Jordan
- US: Georgia town of Newnan braces for neo-Nazi rally
- OPCW: Fact-finding team still outside Syria's Douma
Global_News
Donation
Related
- Al Jazeera denies claims of pro-Israel group on The Lobby films
- What media in Russia, Iran and Syria are saying on Syria strikes
- Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena suspends parliament
- Myanmar court refuses to free Reuters journalists
- Sri Lanka PM Ranil Wickremesinghe survives no-confidence motion
- The Guardian apologises for controversial Greece 'poverty' tour
Featured_Author
Opinion
![]() |
The Great Day |
Uri Avnery | |
![]() |
Missiles over Damascus Courtesy of Monsters in Washington |
Lawrence Davidson | |
![]() |
Who is Really in Charge? |
Timothy V. Gatto | |
![]() |
Storm Warning |
Will Durst | |
![]() |
The Crime of the Tripartite Aggression Against Syria |
Elias Akleh | |
![]() |
A Civilization in Collapse, the Dawn of a New Order |
Graham Peebles | |
![]() |
The Dangerous Deficit in Trade Understanding |
Sheldon Richman | |
![]() |
The Banality of Evil: Diverting the Palestinian Struggle |
Richard Falk | |
![]() |
Military Law and Order on the Border |
Jacob Hornberger | |
![]() |
Solidarity with Julian Assange and Carles Puigdemont |
Ludwig Watzal |