NSLJA express concern on post election violence

(February 02, Jaffna, Sri Lanka Guardian) North Sri Lanka Journalists Association (NSLJA) expresses is grave concern on increasing violence against media and opposition political activists in the election post period. We earnestly hope that normalcy will return to whole country and rule of law will prevail which is a necessary pre condition for long awaited peace and reconciliation.

North of Sri Lanka has witnessed peoples rights being violated for a long time, our media and journalists faced unprecedented repression during the last few years. We express solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the south of Sri Lanka, who are undergoing the same situation we faced for a long time. We express our contentment that ban on Lanka newspaper has been lifted by the judiciary and hope that its editor Chandana Sirimalwattaa will be released soon. NSLJA condemn all acts against media unconditionally.

We express our concern that pre election period too was marred by violence unleashed against political opponents, a trend Tamil people has witnessed for such a long time.

The bomb explosions took place within the Jaffna peninsula on the day of the 2010 Presidential Election brought wartime memories to the people and fears of a violence-filled poll. It discouraged the people from voting who had voted in earlier elections solely on the question of war and peace.

Tamil media in Jaffna gave an unprecedented prominence to the visiting ministers and their programmes with a large number of war-affected people seeking relief for tracing their missing relatives or compensation for their lost property. This led to a situation where journalists in the peninsula paid little attention to carrying the message of other candidates towards the people.

It is commendable the journalists carried out their duties with a sense of responsibility despite the risks they faced but the people were largely fearful about expressing their political opinion publicly. It must be mentioned that inadequate transport facilities and security checks caused delays for journalists to go around polling booths to report on the election.

This election period brought the memories of qualitative peninsula journalism which boasts of a long history and its eminent stalwarts. It was clear that we are yet to achieve those standards after long years of war. At the same time we need to remind that 15 journalists and media workers have been killed in peninsula in recent past. Many experienced journalists have fled the country or left the journalism for safety of their lives. All these acts of violence against Jaffna media has taken it toll.

We urge the government to launch fresh investigations to all the journalists killed in North during the last few years, bring the culprits to book and to show by example that government is willing to establish the rule of law.

Therefore we expect President Mahinda Rajapaksa who has been re-elected to the office to ensure that the peninsula journalists will enjoy the media freedom in order help the people and people’s organisations to shed their fear to express their political opinion freely.