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Concern over journalist’s safety

The Committee to Protect Journalists has said it is alarmed by grave threats made against veteran Sri Lankan journalist Iqbal Athas.

In a letter to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, the CPJ said Mr. Athas had come under extraordinary pressure following his investigations into irregularities surrounding a 2006 deal to purchase MiG-27 fighter jets from Ukraine.

Mr. Athas told CPJ that his security detail was abruptly withdrawn by the Government two weeks ago, after publication of an article about the deal.

Mr. Athas said he had been harassed and followed by unknown people since then, and that he now feared for his life and for the safety of his family.

The CPJ called on the Government to act immediately to ensure the safety of Mr. Athas, a well-known defence columnist for The Sunday Times and frequent contributor to international media outlets such as CNN, Jane’ ;s Defence Weekly, and The Times of London. Mr. Athas received the CPJ’s International Press Freedom Award in 1994.

On August 12, he wrote a detailed investigative report in his regular Sunday Times column about the Ukrainian government’s own inquiry into the arms deal. The headline read: “MiGs loaded with millions in mega frauds; The Sunday Times investigation reveals shocking double-deals and wheeler-dealings; While Lanka remains hush-hush, Ukraine Govt. orders full probe.”

The Sinhala-language newspaper Lankadeepa, published by the same newspaper group, published a translated version of the article on August 14.

The next day, the personal security detail attached to Mr. Athas was abruptly withdrawn.

The Government had provided Mr. Athas with a security detail since April 2005, when it received credible intelligence reports that he may be targeted by members of the LTTE.

Mr. Athas knew well the dangers he might face for reporting on these issues, but proceeded because of his concerns that such dealings could undermine Sri Lanka’s security.

“Those dabbling in millions of dollars or billions of rupees in military procurements [tend to] get away in this paradise isle,” Mr. Athas wrote in his August 12 column.

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