The Sunday Leader
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| Type | Weekly newspaper |
|---|---|
| Owner(s) | Asanga Seneviratne (72%) Lal Wickrematunge (28%) |
| Publisher | Leader Publications (Private) Limited |
| Editor | Easwaran Rutnam |
| Founded | 19 June 1994 |
| Language | English |
| Headquarters | No. 24 Katukurunduwatte Road, Ratmalana, Sri Lanka |
| Sister newspapers |
Iruresa (Irudina) The Morning Leader |
| Website | www |
The Sunday Leader is an English-language Sri Lankan weekly newspaper published by Leader Publications (Private) Limited. It was founded in 1994 and is published from Colombo. Its sister newspapers are the Iruresa (Irudina) and the defunct The Morning Leader. Founded by brothers Lasantha Wickrematunge and Lal Wickrematunge, the newspaper is known for its outspoken and controversial news coverage. The newspaper and its staff have been attacked and threatened several times and its founding editor Lasantha Wickrematunge was assassinated.
The Sunday Leader was founded in 1994 by brothers Lasantha Wickrematunge and Lal Wickrematunge with the first edition being published on 19 June 1994. The newspaper was associated with silent partner and leading politician and presidential candidate Gamini Dissanayake who was assassinated on 24 October 1994.
The Sunday Leader was shut down by the Sri Lankan government on 22 May 2000 using the recently passed censorship law – the Emergency (Miscellaneous Provisions and Powers) Regulation No.1 of 2000. The government's chief censor Ariya Rubasinghe had ordered that the newspaper cease publication for six months (22 May 2000 to 21 November 2000) following an article in the paper which mocked the country's censorship of the military situation imposed after the embarrassing defeat in the Second Battle of Elephant Pass. The police locked Leader Publications' printing facility and installed armed guards outside the building. Editor Lasantha Wickrematunge subsequently filed a fundamental rights application with the Supreme Court challenging the closure. On 30 June 2000 the Supreme Court ruled that the ban on The Sunday Leader was illegal and ordered the police to re-open the newspaper immediately.
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