And Then They Came for Me

The Lasantha Wickrematunge Story

A few weeks before his assassination, Editor of Sri Lankas The Sunday Leader newspaper Lasantha Wickrematunge penned a chillingly prophetic editorial predicting, When finally I am killed, it will be the government that kills me. Published three days after his assassination, the editorial titled And Then They Came For Me, said, I hope my assassination will be seen not as a defeat of freedom but an inspiration for those who survive to step up their efforts. Indeed, I hope that it will help galvanise forces that will usher in a new era of human liberty in our beloved motherland. I also hope it will open the eyes of our president to the fact that however many are slaughtered in the name of patriotism, the human spirit will endure and flourish Though Lasantha is only one amongst dozens of journalists who have disappeared or been killed, kidnapped or tortured in Sri Lanka within the last decade, he stood out prominently as one of journalisms icons. Lasanthas story is one of courage; a story of a man whose gutsy and fearless stance for what he believed in, never wavered, even in the face of grave threat. This then is the story of a man who lived, breathed and finally died in the pursuit of the truth.