Dying for free speech in Sri Lanka
[Guardian]
While driving to work on 8 January Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor in chief of the Sunday Leader, was assassinated by four gunmen on motorcycles. He was shot at point-blank range after being forced to stop at a traffic light. He was rushed to the Kalubowila hospital where he later died. His death came just two days after a major arson attack on the privately owned MVC/MTV television studios in Colombo. Sri Lanka is considered the second most dangerous country in the world for journalists (Iraq being the first).