Freedom of Media continues to be under threat despite end of war

The freedom of expression and of the media received another brutal blow with the murderous assault on senior journalist

and news editor of the Uthayannewspaper, Gnanasundaram Kuganathan, in Jaffna on Friday. He is now in acritical condition in the intensive care unit of Jaffna Hospital with headinjuries due to blows from iron bars. The victim had previously beentargeted by assailants who stormed the Uthayan office in May 2006, asked forhim by name and, having failed to find him, killed two other staff members.

Only recently he had started residing outside of the Uthayan office,believing that the security climate in Jaffna had improved and impunity nolonger reigned so that he could live a relatively normal life. But he was mistaken, and the attack on him will remind all journalists of what theirfate could be if they cross an unknown line and overly anger those inpositions of power.   Once again the attack on a journalist, in which the assailants have escaped,has taken place in close proximity to a military sentry point on a main roadin Jaffna which has a very heavy presence of military personnel. This isreminiscent of the slaying of Sunday Leader editor Lasantha Wickrematunge ona main road in Colombo near a military checkpoint in 2009 and of the arsonattack on Lanka E News in 2010.

The failure of the law enforcementauthorities to apprehend the assailants is an indictment of the regime oflaw enforcement that is armed with emergency powers but still fails toprotect citizens, especially media persons and those critical of thegovernment.  The Uthayan newspaper is owned by a member of the oppositionTNA that was victorious at the recently concluded local government electionsin Jaffna. It has been systematically targeted with another of itsjournalists being physically assaulted earlier this year. What is particularly deplorable about these several attacks on journalistsis the impunity with which they are carried out. A code of silence, a facadeof investigations and a failure to prosecute suspects are the maincharacteristics of this impunity.

None of the killings or attacks on mediainstitutions have been solved. This has led to a climate of fear andself-censorship within journalists and also the larger society. This is notdemocracy where fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution areprotected by the Government of the day. The National Peace Counciltherefore urges the Government to take immediate and convincing steps toprotect the media in order to safeguard the democratic rights of the people. We also express our solidarity with those journalists who are courageouslycommitted to revealing ground realities and the truth and to risking theirlives in the service of the right to information. Those who risk theirlives to uphold public freedom are especially deserving of our appreciationand support.

– Governing Council, National Peace Council

The National Peace Council is an independent and non partisan organisationthat works towards a negotiated political solution to the ethnic conflict inSri Lanka. It has a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Sri Lanka in whichthe freedom, human rights and democratic rights of all the communities arerespected. The policy of the National Peace Council is determined by itsGoverning Council of 20 members who are drawn from diverse walks of life andbelong to all the main ethnic and religious communities in the country.

 

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