Sri Lanka accused of biding time until slain Tamil journalists’ relatives die

A north-based journalists’ group has yet again urged the Sri Lankan government to serve justice to the journalists who were murdered in the north and east.

At the 17-year death anniversary held in Jaffna of a Tamil journalist gunned down by unidentified shooters, Jaffna Press Club (JPC) President K. Selvakumar slammed the government for ignoring journalists murdered while on duty in the Tamil land by not at least conducting a proper investigation.

“Nilakshan’s mother passed away recently. There is no place she has not gone to seek justice for her murdered son. She took part in all democratic struggles, and fought for justice for her son. The government keeps ignoring the deaths of the journalists who served in the Tamil land without even conducting an investigation. We have a feeling that they think that these investigations would come to an end when their relatives die. Therefore, as journalists who are still alive, we will continue to demand justice for the journalists who have been murdered.”

North-based journalists who gathered at the Jaffna Press Club on 1 August, 2024 (Thursday) paid floral tributes and lit lamps in commemoration of Sahadevan Nilakshan, who was murdered on 1 August, 2007.

Nilakshan, who was 22 years old at the time of his murder, was a mass media undergraduate at the University of Jaffna’s Media Resources and Training Centre (MRTC). In addition, he worked as the part-time editor of a popular students’ magazine ‘Sangam’ published by Jaffna District Students’ Federation.

At around 5.30 a.m. on 1 August, 2007, unidentified gunmen who arrived on a motorcycle shot Nilakshan to death in front of his house located on the Railway Street in West Kokuvil, Jaffna. This murder took place during former President Mahinda Rajapaksa’s rule.

Before Nilakshan was murdered in front of his parents, he had been lured out of his house through a friend who had been threatened by the perpetrators.

None of the governments that came to power over the years has taken measures to conduct a proper and impartial investigation into murdered north and east-based journalists including Nilakshan.

The Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) has published a list of 44 journalists and media workers who were murdered during the past decade, and the vast majority on the list were north and east-based Tamil journalists.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who received the list at the first Human Rights Day commemoration under the Yahapalana government, as it’s prime minister, does not seem to have paid attention to conducting the necessary investigations.

The list published by JDS includes a number of journalists and media workers including Nilakshan who were denied justice. Among them are, Aiyathurai Nadesan, L. M. Faleel (Netpittimunai Faleel), Subramaniam Sugirtharajan, Sinnathamby Sivamaharajah, Subramaniam Ramachandran, Chandrabose Suthakar, Selvarasah Rajeevarman, Isaivizhi Chempian (Subhajini), Paranirupesingham Devakumar, Rasiya Jeynthiran, Punniyamurthy Sathyamurthy, Mahalingam Maheswaran, Mari Arulappan Antonykumar, Shobana Dharmaraja (Isai Priya), and Thirukulasingham Thavabalan.