The All-Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group (PHRG) attended this conference organised by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and The Democracy Forum. Linked to the publication of an edited volume entitled ‘Embattled Media: democracy, governance and reform in Sri Lanka’, published earlier this year, the seminar examined the current challenges for media freedom in Sri Lanka and other Commonwealth states.

Some of the key points raised during the conference:

• The three main obstacles to media reform in Sri Lanka are the Government’s resistance to change, the inherent conservatism of the judiciary and tensions within the media itself.
• Media freedom was very poor during the Rajapaksa era, and constant pressure is required now for any meaningful change to occur.
• In India, the judiciary has lacked consistency in regards to its approach to freedom of expression cases.
• British imposed laws that supported colonial rule still impact on media freedoms in Commonwealth states. Old libel, criminal libel, sedition and blasphemy laws still exist and are used in certain states, such as Pakistan, the Gambia, Uganda and Malaysia.
• Security issues in courts, particularly closed material procedures, pose a major threat to freedom of expression. The UK’s 2013 Justice and Security Act has had a negative impact on other states, as will the Draft Communications Data Bill or ‘Snoopers‘ Charter,’ if it is passed.
• The UK Government can support states through technical and legal support and assistance, particularly in smaller states with little capacity for legal reform

The PHRG follows human rights in the Commonwealth closely and will continue to work with our partners and the relevant interlocutors to support media freedom around the world.