Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka (JDS) said they were concerned that the Sri Lankan authorities "are resuming practices designed to intimidate Tamil journalists" despite the change of government.
Following recent arrests and summoning of Tamil journalists by security forces, the two media rights groups, said that "harassment of the Tamil meda has been growing in recent days."
“This increase in acts of intimidation against Tamil journalists is disturbing,” said Benjamin Ismaïl, the head of the Reporters Without Borders Asia-Pacific desk.
“President Maithiripala Sirisena’s first 100 days in office have just ended without any attempt to keep promises to improve respect for media freedom. We urge this government not to repeat the authoritarian errors of the previous government led by the Rajapaksa family, and to refrain from harassing independent news media and Tamil journalists in particular.”
"Four Tamil journalists based in the northern cities of Mannar and Vavuniya were summoned for questioning by the police in Colombo yesterday, just days after another journalist received a similar summons that resulted in his being charged with publishing false information," RSF and JDS said in a joint statement released on Wednesday.
"No reason was given for the summonses that the Colombo Crime Division issued yesterday to Anthony Thevarajan Mark of the Rupavahini Corporation, Jude Pelistis of ITN, freelancer Lambert Rosairo and Ponnaia Manikkavasagam, who works for the BBC and the Tamil daily Veerakesari."
"Journalist James Joseph Fernando was summoned by the police on 26 April and questioned about articles published in 2009 in Veerakesari that criticized actions carried out by the government as part of its policy of resettling the north.
The then resettlement minister is the current government’s trade and industry minister.
Police in the northern city of Jaffna arrested N. Logathayalan, a freelance journalist working for the newspaper Uthayan, on 8 April because of an article implicating Jaffna-based officers in a case of police violence. He is to appear before a judge on 29 May. Two other journalists have reported being the victims of police aggression."
Related articles:
Tamil journalists summoned by Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigation Department (27 Apr 2015)
Journalist and two students detained by Sri Lankan police in Jaffna (23 Apr 2015)
Intimidation of Tamil journalists continues under new Sri Lankan govt says TNA MP (16 Apr 2015)
IFJ condemns intimidation of Tamil journalists by Sri Lankan police (13 Apr 2015)
Uthayan journalists do not feel free – Editor (10 Apr 2015)
Jaffna journalist detained after investigating assault by Sri Lankan police (08 Apr 2015)
Tamil journalists threatened by police in Jaffna (08 Apr 2015)
Surveillance of journalists in North must stop, says international media mission (01 Mar 2015)
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