Journalists and civil society members gathered in Jaffna today to mark the 20th anniversary of the assassination of renowned Tamil journalist and editor Dharmeratnam "Taraki" Sivaram, amid reports of intimidation and surveillance by Sri Lankan police and intelligence services.
The commemoration, jointly organised by the Jaffna Press Club, the Eastern Province Journalists Association, and the Professional Online Journalists Association, took place at the memorial for murdered journalists on Main Street, Jaffna.
Candles were lit and floral tributes were laid before portraits of Sivaram and fellow journalist Selvarajah Rajivarman, who was also murdered on the same date two years later.
Journalists also held an awareness protest calling for justice for murdered media workers, highlighting the ongoing impunity surrounding attacks on Tamil journalists.
Sivaram, a former senior editor at TamilNet, was abducted in Colombo on 28 April 2005 and later found murdered near Parliament. Despite international condemnation and demands for accountability, his killers have never been brought to justice. His assassination is widely seen as part of a broader campaign targeting Tamil intellectuals, journalists, and activists who sought to expose the systematic abuses committed against Tamils by the Sri Lankan state.
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Sivaram’s work, which sharply analysed the political and military dimensions of the Tamil struggle, made him a key figure in Tamil journalism. His writings and advocacy for the Tamil cause also made him a target. His murder has come to symbolise the dangerous climate for journalists in Sri Lanka, particularly those reporting on human rights violations and the Tamil national question.
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Today’s event saw the participation of a broad cross-section of journalists, activists, and members of civil society. However, participants reported heavy surveillance, with intelligence officers photographing those attending the commemoration and journalists covering the event, in an apparent effort to intimidate and harass.
The targeting of Tamil journalists continues to be a pervasive issue across the North-East. Despite the supposed end of the armed conflict in 2009, media workers documenting ongoing militarisation, land grabs, and human rights abuses continue to face threats, harassment, and violence.
Meanwhile, the Mullaitivu Press Club also held their own event, which saw floral tributes and the playing of a documentary on Sivaram’s life by Someetharan aired.
