GTAJ condemns the attack on the journalist Sivagnam Selvatheepan in Jaffna

 Friday, 18 April 2014

 

 Selvatheepan  was beaten with iron rods by two unknown persons travelling on a motorcycle in the northern most Vallaiveli causing grievous injuries to the journalist.

 Mr. Selvatheepan is a reporter for some of the northern regional newspapers. Independent media has paid a heavy price in Sri Lanka in the recent years and the government has not made any efforts to arrest the culture of violence against media persons. In the climate of heavy military presence in the Tamil areas and the unhindered functioning of paramilitary groups loyal to the government, the perpetrators enjoy unhindered impunity to continue with their mission to suppress the free media.

Attack on Mr.Selvatheepan comes soon after the UNHRC resolution and circumstantially it is part of the concerted effort to prop up the bogey of re-emergence of the LTTE, thus creating conditions to impose a regimental control for the victims of the war to provide information on war crimes.

Despite ongoing local and international pressures to the extent of  claiming way back in 2007: “Sri Lanka’s… status was downgraded to ‘Not Free’, to reflect new official restrictions on media coverage as well as a rise in attacks against journalists – particularly ethnic Tamils – and media outlets in the north and east, where the government and the Tamil Tiger rebels effectively resumed their civil war,” Sri Lanka has not progressed to respect media freedom even during peace time.

Free media is corner stone of democracy. We believe that the media needs to be free to analyze and criticize the actions of societal institutions, including and perhaps especially the government. The predicament faced by the independent journalists, failing civil protection institution like the police service and the erosion of free and fair judiciary in Sri Lanka has consumed the lives of many journalists.

 GTAJ appeals to all those concerned of progressively failing media freedom in Sri Lanka to bring about sustainable pressure on Sri Lanka on the attack on the innocent journalist Mr. Sivagnam Selvatheepan.