Lasantha Wickrematunge
| Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge | |
|---|---|
Lasantha Wickrematunge with co-journalist Sunalie Ratnayake in 2007
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| Born | 5 April 1958 Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Died | 8 January 2009 (aged 50) Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Other names | Surnimala |
| Education | Law, University of Colombo |
| Occupation | journalist and politician |
| Organization | The Sunday Leader |
| Spouse(s) | Raine Wickrematunge (1985-2007) Sonali Samarasinghe (2008-) |
| Children | Avinash Wickrematunge Ahimsa Wickrematunge Aadesh Wickrematunge |
| Website | www.thesundayleader.lk |
Lasantha Manilal Wickrematunge (5 April 1958 – 8 January 2009) was a high-profile Sri Lankan journalist, politician and human rights activist who was assassinated in January 2009.
Wickrematunge was the founder of The Sunday Leader and Leader Publications alongside his brother and was known for taking "governments of all hues to task", was a "virulent critic of the Mahinda Rajapaksa government", and had been "locked in a legal battle with the president's brother, defence secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was spearheading the battle against the LTTE rebels.
Wickrematunge's assassination caused a national frenzy being the country's most influential media personnel and one of the biggest political figures and raised questions about freedom of expression in the country. Wickrematunge's murder was widely condemned across the world. The Daily Mirror called it the "biggest blow" to media freedom in Sri Lanka, and the Editors Guild held the government responsible for the killing as it has failed to stop attacks against media personnel. The government also expressed shock at the killing, pledging to do everything in its power to catch his killers. Wickrematunge had been on Amnesty International's endangered list since 1998, when anti-tank shells were fired on his house.
Lasantha Wickrematunge was the youngest of six born in Kotahena Colombo to Chandra and Harris Wickrematunge, a prominent politician, who had served as a municipal councillor for 30 years and was former deputy mayor, Wickrematunge was the grandnephew of George E. de Silva. In his childhood Wickrematunge attended St Benedict’s College where he excelled at cricket. Wickrematunge spent his adolescence in Britain, where he graduated high school and eventually returned to Sri Lanka, where he started law school.
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