Five armed men held a Sunday Leader newspaper associate editor, Mandana Ismail Aveywickrema, at knife point as they searched her home today.
Upon arrival, Sri Lankan police officers shot one of the intruders dead, in what was described by the Police spokesman, Buddhika Siriwardena as an attempted armed robbery.
Sri Lanka’s main press freedom organisation, Free Media Movement (FMM) spokesmen described the attack as being linked to the journalist’s work, stating
“The intruders spent a lot of time inside the house going through files and documents. If they wanted only the valuables, they could have taken them and got out much earlier.”
The organisation released a statement calling for an investigation into what happened whilst future ensuring the future safety of the journalist.
Days before the incident, the family’s vehicles were damaged and the body of a dead cat was dumped on the editor’s doorstop.