The US embassy in Colombo said it had raised the issue with the Sri Lankan administration after pro-government protesters stormed the workshop for ethnic minority Tamil journalists on the weekend, in the latest incident of media intimidation.
"These events continue a troubling pattern of impunity for those who interfere with both freedom of speech and freedom of assembly in Sri Lanka," the embassy said in a statement.
"We have raised our concerns with the government of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lankan embassy in Washington, and strongly urged the government to take immediate steps to ensure the protection of fundamental rights for journalists and for all Sri Lankans.
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The embassy said it was also concerned about "threats and intimidation by security forces against journalists" covering court proceedings last week for Sri Lankan navy sailors accused of raping an 11-year-old girl. The country's main media rights group, the Free Media Movement, said dozens of pro-government activists blocked Tamil