End the Threat of Lethal Action Against Jaffna's Uthayan Newspaper

The International Federation of Journalists is shocked that the systematic campaign of threats and harassment carried out against Uthayan, a Tamil newspaper in the northern Sri Lankan city of Jaffna, has culminated in a “final warning” to shut down or risk lethal retaliation.

 

According to reports received from IFJ sources in Sri Lanka, a letter written to all Uthayan staff and news agents on June 27, and purporting to be a “final warning”, accused the newspaper of being “pro-terrorist” and of “confusing” the Tamil people of Sri Lanka from the time it began publication.

 

With “harmony and liberty” now purportedly regained in Sri Lanka, Uthayan was working towards “destroying the permanent peace and (causing) the public to turn to terrorists again, the letter said. The newspaper’s reports allegedly “twisted” the truth and promoted “communal feelings among the Tamils”.

 

“This is a potentially lethal escalation in the campaign of intimidation against Uthayan”, said IFJ General Secretary Aidan White. “Despite suffering serious public vilification and numerous violent attacks directed at its staff and its premises, Uthayan has continued to publish over the years and earned a well-deserved reputation for editorial courage and conviction”.

 

“All through the years of the country’s bitter internal conflict, Uthayan and its sister-publication, the Colombo-based Tamil daily, Sudar Oli, were a vital platform for the dispersed Tamil community of Sri Lanka to make their voices heard”.

 

In the most recent incident of violent intimidation that it suffered, news agents for Uthayan and two other Tamil newspapers of Jaffna, Valampuri and Thinakkural were attacked early on the morning of June 24 as they began distributing the day’s editions.

 

Earlier, Nadesapillai Vithyatharan, editor of Uthayan’s sister-publication, Sudar Oli, was detained on February 26 in an abduction-style manner which the Sri Lankan authorities justified at the time on the grounds that he was a “wanted person”. Officials of the Crime Branch of the Sri Lankan police requested an extension of his detention on March 18 while his alleged involvement in an insurgent air raid on Colombo on February 20 was investigated.

 

Vithyatharan was released on April 27 without charge.

 

In the light of the accusations made in the recent anonymous letter and the clear warning that Uthayan should shut down by June 30 or risk “capital punishment”, the IFJ calls on the authorities in Sri Lanka to publicly condemn this act of intimidation and provide all appropriate security to the staff and the premises of the newspaper.

 

 

For further information contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +612 9333 0919

 

The IFJ represents over 600,000 journalists in 120 countries