journalists protest against media repression in north

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Journalists protest against media repression inNorth

31 July 2014

Photograph Tamil Guardian

Journalists protested today in Jaffna, against the ongoing media
http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=11696http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=11696http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=11696http://www.tamilguardian.com/article.asp?articleid=11696


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repression of press in the island's North.Carrying placards calling for an end on the war against the media,Tamil journalists together with locals and Tamil politicians, staged aprotest by the main bus stand in Jaffna at !pm local time.

Photograph Tamil GuardianThe protest was organised by the Jaffna Press Club "JPC#, andendorsed by journalists from the $outh.%&en after the armed conflict in the North has ceased, as theintimidation of journalists has increased, many journalists are fleeingthe country haing receied death threats. (eanwhile, thosejournalists who continue to wor) on the ground, continue to haedeath threats sent to them. *n these circumstances, the mediacommunity is gripped with fear oer the dangers that journalism is

going to face in coming days,% said the JPC said in a statementpublished shortly after the protest.


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Condemning the military's continued targetting of journalistsspecifically in the North, the JPC highlighted the increasing number ofTamil journalists who were forced to flee the island following deaththreats and attempts made against the life.


$tatement reproduced in full below+&en after the armed conflict in the North has ceased, as theintimidation of journalists has increased, many journalists are


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fleeing the country haing receied death threats. (eanwhile,those journalists who continue to wor) on the ground,continue to hae death threats sent to them. *n thesecircumstances, the media community is gripped with fear oerthe dangers that journalism is going to face in coming days

The trend of murdering journalists, that started at the end ofthe year !, with the murder of one of our fellow journalist,(ayalahanam Nimalarajan, continues to till now. -efore ourery eyes, many of our fellow colleagues hae been shotdead. (any hae been abducted, many hae disappeared. Tillnow, the $ri an)an goernment has responded to theseincidents with a long silence./hilst the goernment of $ri an)a states it has brought athree decade long war to an end, iolence against the media

has increased in recent times. *t raises the 0uestions 1 hasthe $ri an)an goernment's war turned against the media2(any journalists, such as 3thayarasa $halin from 4alampurinewspaper, Thileep 5muthan from 3thayan newspaper and$elatheepan from Thina))ural, hae escaped from attemptsmade against their lies by unidentified persons.Two Thina))ural journalists, T. 4inojith and P /inslow, weresearched for by the Terrorism *nestigation 6iision "T*6#who disseminating false propaganda against them stating that

they receied training by the TT&. 3nder these circumstancesP /inslow escaped, fleeing the country. $imilarly thejournalists, $. Nitharshan, 4. 7ajeepan, $.7. Prasath, $. 7aranand $. Tharshan, who went to report from the 8igh $ecurity9one in Jaffna, had direct death threats made against themby the military. 5midst such threats $.7. Prasath has also fledthe country.*n line with this, the military at :manthai chec) point triedfalsely accuse the journalists, 7 8amsanan, 4 7ajeepan, $.

Nitharshan, $. (ayuran, P. Pas)aran, $. $oruban, who weretraelling to ta)e part in a media training wor)shop inColombo on the !;th.*n this way, journalists in the Northern Proince areconducting their wor) eeryday amidst seere intimidation,putting their lies at ris). (eanwhile, filing cases see)ingcompensation in order to cripple media organisations, and


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summoning editorial board representaties to Palali 5rmyCamp and the


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journalists protest against media repression in north

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