Amantha Perera
Recent Posts by Amantha Perera
The heavy toll of reporting Sri Lanka’s mass protests: “We are gasping for breath”
October 11, 2022 by Amantha PereraReporting on wave after wave of public protests over six months, under such historically repressive conditions, felt like being on a never-ending treadmill. My colleagues told me that they were gasping for breath at the end of every day.
As Kashmir is silenced, press freedom levels fall below Afghanistan and Myanmar
February 24, 2022 by Amantha PereraIn September 2020, Amnesty International halted its operations in India, with the UK-based organisation publishing a report warning of a coordinated effort to silence journalists and activists in the region.
The Indian government “must immediately halt its intensifying suppression of dissent,” said Amnesty International, following a series of raids on journalists and human rights groups in Jammu and Kashmir.
Since then, the situation has deteriorated from bad to worse, particularly for journalists in Kashmir, culminating with the recent arrest of Fahad Shah, a journalist and founding editor of The Kashmir Walla.
Amantha Perera, Project Lead for Dart Centre Asia Pacific, reflects on how press freedom is being eroded, not only in Kashmir, but in other Asia Pacific regions.
Online threats create new dangers for reporters in Sri Lanka
March 10, 2020 by Amantha PereraThe Sri Lanka situation in many ways represents what is being experienced across the globe – journalists are not equipped deal with online threats, harassment or direct attacks. Very few recognise the emotional toll and impact on their lives.
Dark Eyes and Bullet Holes: Reflections on Covering War
November 16, 2016 by Amantha PereraAmantha Perera, a foreign correspondent and Dart Centre Asia Pacific’s Regional Facilitator, reflects on covering the Sri Lankan Civil War. “I did not see fear. I did not see sorrow, hate or revenge. I wish I had,” he writes. “I saw a deep, unfathomable darkness. An abyss. As if there was nothing left to feel, nothing to live for.”
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