(Media personnel, media workers, artistes and cultural activists who were assassinated) 1981 – 2009 March Martyrs of the Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka (Media personnel, media workers, artistes and cultural activists who were assassinated) 1981 – 2009 March Martyrs of the Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka Seetha Ranjanee Free Media Movement c/o SLPI, No. 96, Narahenpita, Colombo 05, Sri Lanka. [email protected] A few words on this book 'Martyrs of the Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka’ is being released at a tumultuous time when Sri Lanka’s media is facing a serious threat from political forces that are both obvious and shadowy. However, this is not an attempt to trace the history of attacks against the media in general, but seeks to highlight the most vicious attempts to stifle press freedom - the assassination of media personnel. Not a single assassination recorded in this compilation has Martyrs of the Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka been successfully concluded. No details of the investigations have been revealed. This is a damning indictment of the First Print 2011 inequality of the law, where law enforcing officers are quick Author - Seetha Ranjanee to act on other killing and violent incidents, but fail to apply the same degree of diligence when it comes to the Free Media Movement assassination of media personnel and attacks against media organisation ISBN : 978-955-0583-01-0 This compilation records the assassination of media personnel up to March 2009. However, the fate of journalist Translater : Kusal Perera Prageeth Eknaligoda, who disappeared in January 2010, and whose whereabouts remain unknown one year on, gives Cover Disigning : Suganthi Manimaran one reason to believe the list will not necessary end with this book. Page setting : Suganthi Manimaran Seetha Ranjanee, the compiler of this book has worked Jayaliya Jayasekara tirelessly for the Free Media Movement (FMM) from its inception and has at various times held the position of Secretary and Convenor of the Movement. She is at present Published by : Free Media Movement the secretary FMM. A veteran journalist has worked in the c/o SLPI, No. 96, media industry for more than 32 years; she is also a poet Narahenpita, Colombo 05 and a writer has used a large data base to compile this Sri Lanka. tome. The FMM is grateful to all those who assisted her in this endeavour and are also thankful to those who helped [email protected] with its publishing. Printed by : Samayawardana Printing Press No. 53, Maligakanda Road, Sunil Jayasekera Colombo 10. Convenor FMM Content sequence Introduction 1. Introduction It should be said at the outset that reference to those assassinated media personnel, media workers, artistes 2. List of media personnel, media workers, artistes and cultural activists also include both male and female and cultural activists who were assassinated victims. This stress was needed as the words though includes both male and female personnel, the linguistic 3. Short introduction about those assassinated connotations within the society preferably accepts a • Information about those in the main patriarchal understanding. Thus the first impression could section mean ‘male’ only. • Information about a few who were identified through a single source The reason for this collection of information on • Political activists of the Inter University assassinated media personnel, media workers, artistes Student Federation who were involved in and cultural activists is that it gives importance to those media and cultural work in our society who sacrificed with their lives in working • Information on few accidents and for freedom of expression and communication. Also it disappearances allows an understanding of the historical developments • Few other incidents that leads to curbing of independence and freedom of expression, communication and in particular the media. 4. Few observations on how assassinations have While some were assassinated outside their media taken place practice, relevance of their contributions were accepted (Only those in the main section have been considered) as worthy of their inclusion. • Assassinations according to ethnicity Physical elimination of individuals is the most brutal of all • Assassinations according to activity areas attacks on media freedom and free expression. A survey • Assassinations according to geographical on individual killings would provide an insight into areas attempts made in curtailing and curbing media freedom • Assassinations according to main issues and independence of expressions. It would also help understand the socio political background to those killings 5. Few conclusions in general and attempts in curbing media freedom and independence of expressions. This documentation would 1 create an opening to such perusal. To facilitate same, threats and continued conflict, the North has almost details and information in this documentation are lost its media presence.) Thus there is a confusion now arranged according to assassination dates and not on in listing those in the mainstream media in Colombo as popularity, seniority or competency. journalists and others as provincial correspondents as in the past. The adjective ‘provincial’ in comparison to With the launch of the Free Media Movement in 1992, a Colombo, is another that needs after thought now. spirited discourse on media freedom took place in society Nevertheless, this documentation has taken all of them as a strong voice was raised against suppression, threats on equal par. and other issues. Taking up issues on art and culture and freedom in a broader sense was also part of the Within this documented information, while 02 campaign. On that same basis, this documentation undergraduates from the Jaffna University are included, includes information not only about media personnel but 03 students from the South have been listed as political also on activists involved in cultural and literary work. student activists. The 02 Jaffna undergraduates, a male Some have been in other professions or had their own and a female student, were challenging the right to political affiliations while being involved in the fields of dissent in an environment where dissent was subdued media, art, literature and culture. This was the case and through murder. They were involved in both creative was very conspicuous in the North – East and in “left” art and media to promote democracy and peace. The politics, where full-time activists were responsible for their 03 students from the South were different as activists own journals and publications, making them live as in armed politics, engaged in its student wing contributing journalists or media personnel. Some were involved in to student publications and underground literature. creative cultural work that focused on promoting peace, Tragic deaths of a few individuals have been listed under social justice and co-existence. In the past, as it is at the heading, “Accidents and information related to present, all provincial stringers and freelance media disappearances” on the basis of the potential shown by personnel are employed otherwise, while being in the them in contributing to these fields while living. Two have media. been mentioned under ‘other incidents’ and accepted The media in the North evolved independent of the as having had worked in the media. Later information mainstream media in Colombo and in other parts of the revealed they have not been in the media in the latter country. They also have their own professional media part. Reasons for their murders have also had no link to personnel as well as provincial freelance journalists media work or the right of expression. One soldier is employed in other work. (Due to a string of murder, 2 3 included here as he fell victim to an attack on a media While a government should be held responsible for the establishment while on security duty. fate of the citizens in a country, all assassinations have been listed under 03 categories according to the way The reason to have a set of names separately as those the death had occurred, the geographical location and identified on a single source of information instead of the period. including them in the main section is because their assassination could not be verified through a reliable 1. Killings in relation to the ethnic conflict / war ( all rivalry second source. Two Tamil media persons were identified killings between armed Tamil groups and factional through personal information only. killings within armed groups) 2. Killings that took place during the JVP initiated Nevertheless, all these individuals lost these deaths were insurgency which includes those by the JVP and not normal. Not even due to unavoidable circumstances. counter insurgency work by the government Who ever the assassin(s), all deaths were due to 3. Killings resulting from conspiracies by politicians dissenting with the assassin(s), due to media practices that exposed assassin(s), due to positive media practice The final chapter has notes on these, on killings on a that helped the society or due to media practice that provincial and ethnic basis and notes on how killings took allowed space for dissent in society. Deaths due to power place. struggle. Deaths due to uncivilised interventions in Majority of the killings are related to the ethnic conflict society, instead of civilized intervention. Deaths due to and war. Of the 114 killings listed in the main section, 80 terror taking its turn in society, instead of non-violence. fall into this category. Most ‘left political activists’ who Deaths due to conspiracies that needed to block the were assassinated by the JVP are those who stood for exposure of corruption, fraud and all other power sharing through PC’s that was mooted under misdemeanours of politicians. Deaths due to the rejection the Indo – SL Accord. If the number of ‘leftists’ of plurality in society that led a protracted war. Deaths assassinated up to the assassination of Wijeya due to a need to stop exposure of the war and its Kumaratunge the film idol is totalled up, the number is negative impact with a corrupt war.