Journalists protest against media repression in

North
31 July 2014
Photograph Tamil Guardian
Journalists protested today in Jaffna, against the ongoing media
repression of press in the island's North.
Carrying placards calling for an end on the war against the media,
Tamil journalists together with locals and Tamil politicians, staged a
protest by the main bus stand in Jaffna at !pm local time.
Photograph Tamil Guardian
The protest was organised by the Jaffna Press Club "JPC#, and
endorsed by journalists from the $outh.
%&'en after the armed conflict in the North has ceased, as the
intimidation of journalists has increased, many journalists are fleeing
the country ha'ing recei'ed death threats. (eanwhile, those
journalists who continue to wor) on the ground, continue to ha'e
death threats sent to them. *n these circumstances, the media
community is gripped with fear o'er the dangers that journalism is
going to face in coming days,% said the JPC said in a statement
published shortly after the protest.
Photograph Tamil Guardian
Condemning the military's continued targetting of journalists
specifically in the North, the JPC highlighted the increasing number of
Tamil journalists who were forced to flee the island following death
threats and attempts made against the life.
Photograph Tamil Guardian
$tatement reproduced in full below+
&'en after the armed conflict in the North has ceased, as the
intimidation of journalists has increased, many journalists are
fleeing the country ha'ing recei'ed death threats. (eanwhile,
those journalists who continue to wor) on the ground,
continue to ha'e death threats sent to them. *n these
circumstances, the media community is gripped with fear o'er
the dangers that journalism is going to face in coming days
The trend of murdering journalists, that started at the end of
the year !,,,, with the murder of one of our fellow journalist,
(ayal'ahanam Nimalarajan, continues to till now. -efore our
'ery eyes, many of our fellow colleagues ha'e been shot
dead. (any ha'e been abducted, many ha'e disappeared. Till
now, the $ri .an)an go'ernment has responded to these
incidents with a long silence.
/hilst the go'ernment of $ri .an)a states it has brought a
three decade long war to an end, 'iolence against the media
has increased in recent times. *t raises the 0uestions 1 has
the $ri .an)an go'ernment's war turned against the media2
(any journalists, such as 3thayarasa $halin from 4alampuri
newspaper, Thileep 5muthan from 3thayan newspaper and
$el'atheepan from Thina))ural, ha'e escaped from attempts
made against their li'es by unidentified persons.
Two Thina))ural journalists, T. 4inojith and P /inslow, were
searched for by the Terrorism *n'estigation 6i'ision "T*6#
who disseminating false propaganda against them stating that
they recei'ed training by the .TT&. 3nder these circumstances
P /inslow escaped, fleeing the country. $imilarly the
journalists, $. Nitharshan, 4. 7ajeepan, $.7. Prasath, $. 7aran
and $. Tharshan, who went to report from the 8igh $ecurity
9one in Jaffna, had direct death threats made against them
by the military. 5midst such threats $.7. Prasath has also fled
the country.
*n line with this, the military at :manthai chec) point tried
falsely accuse the journalists, 7 8amsanan, 4 7ajeepan, $.
Nitharshan, $. (ayuran, P. Pas)aran, $. $oruban, who were
tra'elling to ta)e part in a media training wor)shop in
Colombo on the !;th.
*n this way, journalists in the Northern Pro'ince are
conducting their wor) e'eryday amidst se'ere intimidation,
putting their li'es at ris). (eanwhile, filing cases see)ing
compensation in order to cripple media organisations, and
summoning editorial board representati'es to Palali 5rmy
Camp and the <th floor has become routine. The journalist,
.empard, from (annar district, is currently facing such
in'estigations. Northern journalists are wor)ing with fear, at
gunpoint, !< hours a day. -eing threatened and being
followed has become normal.
*n this en'ironment, the $ri .an)an go'ernment is pre'enting
the journalists from e'en gaining s)ills related to their
careers. 5 perfect e=ample of this, is the incident at the
:manthai chec)point on the !;th, as well as two pre'ious
incidents when journalists from the Jaffna peninsula tra'elling
to Colombo, were stopped and turned bac) after $inhala
chau'inist organisations, supported by the state, opposed.
$e'en journalists, tra'elling to such a training wor)shop,
escaped from an attempt to arrest and imprison them,
accusing them falsely of possession of marijuana. /e note
with concern the attempt made to frame at the :manthai
chec)point, which is clearly under $ri .an)an military control.
This incident illustrates what is to ta)e place in the future.
That journalists are being followed and being intimidated
re'eals the lac) of security. 5s the $ri .an)an go'ernment has
not created the en'ironment needed for press freedom, we,
journalists from the North, ha'e launched a demonstration
calling for press freedom, and strongly condemning the plots
and ongoing murder attempts and attac)s being made against
journalists. /e than) all parties who supported this protest.