Today marks his second death anniversary at the hands of murderers who are able to walk the streets freely today. Lasantha Wickrematunge was a complex man, and not one that I claim to be an authority upon. I have read his work briefly and have been interested in and inspired by his conviction and demand for transparency, but I am not completely acquainted with all his work and want to reserve judgement on his ideas for a point in time when I am well informed. I have read reviews of people who loved Lasantha and continue to love what he stood for: defiance of a system that needed improvement. I have also read online comments, blog posts and reviews of people bashing him for his rather one-sided arguments, supporting Ranil Wickrematunge and for using his contacts in ‘higher places’ to get his wife a job at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Canberra, Australia.

But what I do know is Lasantha Wickrematunge was a brave human being. No one was more aware of his impending assassination than he was. His posthumous editorial in his newspaper publication “The Sunday Leader” is to say the least, chilling. From beneath the ground, in his grave, Lasantha got the last word, pointing his fingers government-wards, blaming those whom we have trusted with safeguarding our lives (the irony of it!). While Lasantha may not have been a forensic science expert, or detective, and even if his accusations are not true, the important question to be asked is, “What provided him with the basis for his accusation, his resignation to a fate he knew wouldn’t be far off?”

The Sri Lankan media publication groundviews.org provides insight into the investigation process following Lasantha’s murder. His widow, Sonali Samarasinghe has been involved in many initiatives to bring her husband’s killers to courts, but to no avail so far.

What’s upsetting about these events, apart from the loss of a life that was valued by family and friends and the loss of a loud voice calling for redress in Sri Lanka, is the unfortunate reality that this is not a one time event. Journalists and media personnel continue to be targeted in Sri Lanka for speaking out against whatever the government doesn’t want them to be speaking out against. While it’s important to make sure that no fingers are pointed at those who are innocent and that it is unfair the accuse the government if it is truly uninvolved in these crimes, then we have to busy ourselves with the most important question, “Why haven’t most of these killings been brought to justice?” Surely, our state bureaucracy is not so weak? We managed to eliminate the LTTE; our government now carries the shiny title of a country that has successfully defeated the most resilient opposition forces of them all: guerilla forces. If we can achieve that Herculean task, why can’t we deliver judgement upon the killers of Lasantha Wickrematunge and other Sri Lankan journalists?