The ease with which the police closed down the activist site is worrying, says Val Swain
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Sri Lankan newspapers have refused to participate in a police campaign to track down people who have starred in pornographic films. The crackdown is part of a broader crusade against “moral crimes”, including “indecent” advertising on film billboards. The police want newspapers to run mugshots of over 80 people but all the national daily newspapers bar one have refused to print the photographs. Those actors caught face six months in prison and a 90 dollar fine.
Kampala metropolitan police chief Andrew Sorowen announced on 20 September that public gatherings involving more than five people must be cleared by the Inspector General of Police (IGP). He added that the measure also applied to wedding receptions and funerals, citing the threat of terrorism as justification. Police deputy spokesperson Vincent Sekatte later said that official clearance was not required for private assemblies, but advised citizens wishing to hold such events to inform the IGP first. The new guidelines come amidst outrage at the government’s proposed Public Order Management Bill, which would require organisers of rallies and demonstrations to obtain approval from the police.
A witness in the case of missing journalist Vasyl Klymentyev has also gone missing. According to deputy editor Petro Matvienko, the key witness disappeared last week. He refused to reveal the person’s name for fear of jeopardising the investigation, but said he had verified the information with law enforcement agencies. The police department in Kharkiv claimed no knowledge of the witness’s disappearance. In a further development, Klymentyev’s lawyer was locked in his appartment by police. Officers forced their way into Vyacheslav Ismaylov’s home on 2 September, and barricaded him inside, saying they were investigating a case involving him. The newspaper lawyer fears that police could plant something in the appartment that would be compromising to him.