State intimidation against Tamil journalists continue: details in parliament

Even as journalists from the capital of Colombo on Thursday (6) staged a protest against the country’s Attorney General controversially recommending the release of three murder suspects in the Lasantha Wickremetunge assassination, a Tamil MP from the war-torn Vanni region has raised issues about the threats faced by Tamil journalists in the North.

Raising the issue of threats to Tamil journalists in parliament, the Vanni district Ilankai Tamil Arasu Katchi MP Thurairasa Raviharan cited examples of recent threats and attempted assaults and said even after the war is over attacks and intimidations against them continue.

He said that journalists say there are situations where they are being threatened by the police, intelligence officials, the military, and various individuals involved in illegal activities.

The ITAK MP cited some examples of continued attacks against Tamil journalists.

“As such, on 26/12/2024 Thursday, an attempt to abduct independent journalist and secretary of the Killinochi Press Club Murugiah Tamilselvan was made on the Killinochchi A-9 highway by persons who came in a vehicle. Since that attempt failed, they left after seriously threatening him”.

Thurairasa Raviharan demanded that apart from rendering justice to the journalist, the accused should also be severely punished.

He also told parliament how journalists raising corruption issues are being targeted and cited the example of how unidentified persons came to the house of a Tamil journalist and threatened him.

“Killinochchi-based journalist Subramaniyam Baskaran who published a news regarding corruption, was threatened by a group connected to the corruption. His house was also attacked”.

Highlighting how the month of January has been dreaded for journalists, he said most crimes against them happened in that month and added that every year the 31st of January is observed as a ‘Black Day’ by the journalists he added the same was observed this year also.

“For the journalists, January continues to be black even now”.

Citing yet another example of journalists working on exposing the corrupt, Raviharan pointed out how two Tamil journalists were targeted by criminals.

“When illegal logging was exposed by many in the Mullaitivu district, journalists Kanapathypillai Kumanan and Shanmugam Thavaseelan who went for news gathering were attacked by the illegal loggers”.

Unidentified persons trespassing into the Mullaitivu Press Club and extensively inquiring into its activities were also mentioned by him in parliament. He further added such threats and intimidation to journalists were not confined to one place or person.

“Journalist Vijayaratnam Saravanan who went for news gathering at Kurunthoormalai in Mullaitivu was attacked and intimidated by the police. There are many such incidents like this. Such things have happened in Vavuniya and Mannar”.

However, he added they had trust in the new government which had taken office in the country.
Meanwhile, hundreds of journalists and activists joined a protest convened by the Young Journalists Association in Colombo calling for the resignation of the Attorney General who decided to discharge 3 suspects in the murder of founder-editor of Sunday Leader Lasantha Wickremetunge.

Lawyers, trade unionists, and civil society activists also joined the journalists in their protest seeking the sacking of the AG.

In a highly controversial move, the AG has written to the chief of the Criminal Investigation Department not to proceed further with the case against the said three murder suspects in the Magistrate’s court and report back the action taken within 14 days.

New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists on the 9th of January this year had called upon the government to conduct a swift and impartial investigation into the attacks and threats to Tamil journalists. In a statement, CPJ Program Director Carlos Martinez de la Serna then, said such harassment must end.

“The recently elected Sri Lankan government must put an end to the longstanding impunity surrounding the harassment and assaults on Tamil journalists”.

Sri Lanka ranks poorly in the global index of press freedom by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders. In its list for 2024, Sri Lanka is ranked at 150 among 180 nations, dropping further down from 135 in the previous year (2023).

The press freedom score of Sri Lanka stands at 35.21 out of 100.