Amnesty International Australia held a photo exhibition, Cries of the Voiceless, over two days in central Sydney city, at the Martin Place Amphitheatre on 5-6 June 2008, o highlighting human rights abuses and violence against journalists in Sri Lanka. The photos taken with a rented camera by a 23-year-old man in Sri Lanka and explore life as a child in a conflict situation.  Through its severe lack of media freedom, it is the cries of help of the victims of these human rights abuses that go unheard. Cries of the Voiceless is a photo exhibition to be held by Amnesty International to help carry these messages, read the Amnesty International flyer.

Attendees to the event said the open-air photo exhibition attracted several viewers. "These human rights abuses are shocking. It is horrible to think of the effect it must have on the children there," said one Sydney-sider after viewing the photos. "By simply killing journalists and enforcing media restriction, the Sri Lankan government cannot sweep their dirty work under the carpet," were other comments.

The Amnesty International Report 2008 released last week found enforced disappearances, unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and torture continued to be a feature of the ongoing and escalating conflict between Sri Lankan government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2007.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were displaced from their homelands as conflict continued. As hostilities intensified the space for dissent was increasingly restricted, and journalists, particularly those associated with the Tamil media, were attacked, abducted and killed.

Courtesy: TamilNet