- Iqbal Athas
Iqbal Athas is a Sri Lankan defence journalist for the Sunday Times and he also contributes to
Jane's Defence Weekly andCNN . He was threatened for hisinvestigative reporting which undercovered defence scandals in the purchase of the arms by Sri Lankan Defence personal particurly theSri Lankan Airforce . [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/s/w_asia/57845.stm Sri Lanka journalist threatened] ] [ [http://www.derechos.org/saran/lanka/4998b.html Human Rights Bulletin on Sri Lanka ] ] [ [http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=4594 Latest news from Sri Lanka in Sinhala, English and Tamil - (Lankaenews) ] ]Career as Journalist
Iqbal Athas has been an investigative reporter on defence issues and has faced several threats to his life due to this. On February 1998 armed men entered his house and threatened him and his family as he had written about corruption in the Army and in 2002 during the ceasefire two Sri Lankan airforce officers were convicted for the attack. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/1806833.stm Sri Lankan air force officers jailed BBC] ] [ [http://www.derechos.org/saran/lanka/4998b.html Concerns over safety of journalist Iqbal-Athas] ]
Article on Defence deal
Iqbal Athas exposed corruption involved in the purchase of second hand MiG-27 from
Ukraine . Sri Lanka ordered a probe into the deal. [ [http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070812/Columns/sitreport.html The Sunday Times investigation reveals shocking double-deals and wheeler-dealings] ] Security given to Iqbal Athas was withdrawn after this article was published. [ [http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070826/Columns/political.html Journalist and family under threat after withdrawal of security] ] [ [http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070819/Columns/sitreport.html PM announces select committee will probe multi-billion rupee transaction] ] [ [http://www.sundaytimes.lk/070826/News/nws2.html MiG deal: All parties agree on select committee probe ] ] The rulingSLFP party staged a protest near his house calling on him not to reveal sensitive information. International Media have appealed for restoration of security. [ [http://www.cpj.org/news/2007/asia/sri31aug07na.html Sri Lankan journalist, still in jeopardy, says government never offered protection] ] Journalist W. G. Gunaratne who translated Iqbal Athas’s articles into Sinhala for the newspaper Lankadeepa has received death threats. [ [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23466 Life of journalist Iqbal Athas in danger after his revelations about purchase of Ukrainian Migs European and US embassies urged to protect threatened journalist] ]ee also
Sampath Lakmal de Silva References
External links
* [http://www.freemedia.at/PDF_Reports/SriLanka_mission_report.pdf Sri Lanka mission report]
* [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10956 Nine recommendations for improving media freedom in Sri Lanka – RSF]
* [http://www.humanrights-geneva.info/article.php3?id_article=1618 Media in Sri Lanka]
* [http://www.ifj-asia.org/page/sri_lanka1.html Free Speech in Sri Lanka]Further Reports
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