Sri Lanka: Authorities should stop targeting, intimidating and harassing journalist and woman human rights defender Dharisha Bastians and her family.

June 18, 2020, Colombo, Sri Lanka -- Journalist and Human rights defender Dharisha Bastians has been facing intimidation since December 2019 by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) with alleged links to the false accusation of the abduction of Swiss embassy employee. 

In January of 2020 CID arrested Swiss Embassy employee Gania Banister Francis, on grounds of  “lying to embarrass the government and fabricating evidence”. Gania Banister Francis had claimed that she was abducted and questioned by an unidentified group in a white vehicle.

Within the scope of the investigation Darisha Bastian and Krishantha Cooray were summoned to court over allegations of conspiracy and espionage, for covering Gania Banister Francis’ story. 

Since the investigation against Swiss Embassy’s employee started Darisha has been targeted various times with pro-government media conducting a smearing campaign against her, supported by attacks on social media, labelling her a traitor and criminal.

CID officers tried to seize her computer and personal belongings without a warrant on June 9, threatening her with her colleagues, associates and family members in Sri Lanka.

In a statement on June 15 2020, sent to Freedom Defenders, Darisha said that “in the course of the same investigation the CID obtained her call records “without a court order”. These records were “scrutinized” and the information “subsequently exposed”, which, she said, “could seriously endanger and compromise my sources and contacts, then, now and in the future.” While offering to cooperate with investigation efforts, she stressed that she remains “gravely concerned about potential efforts by interested parties to compromise the integrity” of the seized electronic material and devices”.

Darisha is clearly being targeted due to her work as a professional journalist and human rights defender. Sri Lankan authorities should immediately cease all attacks, intimidation, and harassment of Bastians, her associates, colleagues, and family in Sri Lanka and ensure their protection and safety. The Coalition For Women In Journalism reminds Sri Lankan authorities that such acts of intimidation against journalists puts the country’s reputation as a constitutional state at stake. We expect the Sri Lankan judiciary to comply with its own legal requirements and international standards. Investigating those who are responsible for the smearing campaigns is absolutely essential to strengthen public confidence in law enforcement and to dispel public fears.