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| Sunday, 20 February 2005 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Who killed Richard? by Sureka Galagoda & Gamini Warushamana
"Four persons who came into the house dragged Richard De Zoysa down the stairs and took him away in a vehicle," A. V. Karunaratne, a person who lived with de Zoysa, told Colombo High Court Judge Rohini Perera when the murder case of veteran journalist Richard de Zoysa was taken up for hearing on January 28, 2005. This is the last memory of living Richard De Soysa. Murderers On February 18, 2005, we commemorated the fifteenth death anniversary of Richard de Zoysa, but the murderers are still roaming freely. On the day we commemorate the 15th death anniversary of Richard, we are still forcing the authorities to do justice to the journalism fraternity. We have a moral obligation to remember Richard every year, because his death strengthened the media freedom in the country. State terror In late 1980s most of our journalists used to do their own business rather than reporting the happenings of day. State terror was openly unleashed on the society. Disappearance of people, killings and burning of people on tyre pyres were normal things. The fate of journalists like H.E. Dayananda demoralised journalists so much that they forgot to criticise, investigate or report what happened in front of their eyes for fear of their life. UNP government Richard was one who acted differently. He reported the brutal state terror of the UNP government to the world through the Inter Press Service (IPS), the Italy based news agency. It is the crime he had done as a journalist for which he had to pay for with his life. By the time the killers came for Richard, he was offered a high post in the IPS and was due to leave the country. He was abducted and after a few days his partly decomposed and naked body was found on the Koralawella beach in Moratuwa. He had been tortured brutally. Later his mother Manorani Sarawanamuttu identified some of the persons who came to abduct him. Assistant Superintend of Police Ronnie Gunasinghe was one of them. On May 1, 1993, Ronni Gunasinghe too died in the bomb explosion together with President Ranasinghe Premadasa. But the other assassins are still at large. The case is still being heard at the Colombo High Court. Activist Richard was not only a journalist, he was also a broadcaster, dramatist, Human Rights activist, actor and poet. Richard was considered as a pain in the neck by the UNP government due to his involvement in human rights. He was not afraid to do his duty. He belonged to the elite and he could have attended to his own business but deep within, he felt for the common man and spoke on their behalf. In his career as an artist Richard showed talents in many fields. The poet His poems reflect how he saw and understood people and events in society as a sensitive human being. This was evident in the poems in his book titled "This other Eden", "The poet" reflects how he understood his duty as a journalist. As an actor his role Marlin in Yuganthaya directed by Dr. Lester James Peiris was highly recognised. Marlin is similar to his political applications in his real life. Symbol of courage After his death Richard became a symbol for courageous journalists who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of expression, democracy and against state terror in the world. Richard did not belong to the so-called pressure groups that depend on NGO dollars. He had a political thinking and he was also a patriot that well understood the tragedy the country faced at that time. But this truth is completely ignored by our free media tycoons who are careful not to mention about his political ideology when commemorating Richard. revenge At the time Richard was killed, the JVP insurrection was completely crushed. There was no reason to kill him unless to take revenge. Today as journalists we are enjoying more freedom than earlier. We are even struggling for media freedom and democracy in Nepal. This freedom did not fall from heaven as it was won through a mass struggle. Richard paid with his life for us journalists to enjoy the freedom of the pen. |
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