Damith Weerasinghe

It is the duty of professional journalists to report and hold power to account. @anuradisanayake and his current administration have benefited from reporters in #SriLanka doing just that. To now propose a law that could impede their work is beyond inadvisable. I say this because select clauses of the Prevention of Organised Crimes (POC) Bill will cripple professional journalism and stifle investigative reporting. The bill does not specifically refer to journalists or media. But vaguely worded offences and sweeping police powers have implications for routine journalistic work. Significantly, the bill includes no exemption for public-interest reporting. If passed into law, court reporting—a basic and universal component of journalism—would need explicit approval. Under Section 14(3), anyone who prints or publishes any matter about any court proceeding concerning a “serious crime under this Act” without the court’s prior permission faces up to two years’ imprisonment, a fine, or both. This is such a big shift for crime and court reporters that it is near impossible to fathom. It is the journalist that requires permission prior to printing or publishing. The bill lays out no procedure for the judiciary. sundaytimes.lk/261108/news/o…