South Asian Free Media Association condemns mob attack on News 1st head office

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The South Asian Free Media Association Sri Lanka Chapter  (SAFMA - SL) has condemned the attack on the News 1st head office. The association said the attack was an alarming and shameful attack on the news media freedom in the country. Issuing a media release, the SAFMA said: "We are reliably informed that an unruly mob exploded large amounts of firecrackers outside the gates of the News First head office complex in Colombo and threw exploding fireworks at the closed gates and boundary walls of the newsgroup premises. Given past experience of even more destructive attacks including the firing of weapons by armed men, the staff of News 1st were reportedly severely traumatised by the Wednesday night incident which clearly directly targetted their news organisation." It went on to note that it considers such attacks to be an act of intimidation, and that it is a violation of the right of Freedom of Expression at a time when the nation had presumed that such freedom had been restored after a decade of violent political repression. SAFMA - SL demands that the law and order authorities immediately investigate this incident and prosecute the perpetrators. It adds that only quick and firm remedial action will convince the public that democratic freedom has genuinely been restored in this country. The SAFMA statement comes on the back of statements by the Free Media Movement and the Public Media Alliance. For more on the story and the story and sentiments expressed by these organisations read, UNP politician lead mob surrounds MTV/MBC HQ