The Enduring Harassment and Oppression of Tamil Journalists in Sri Lanka (2009–2025)

Silenced Voices, Shattered Freedoms:

The Enduring Harassment and Oppression of Tamil Journalists in Sri Lanka (2009–2025)

 A Comprehensive Analysis of the Harassment, Intimidation, Threats, and Systematic Rights Violations Faced by Tamil Journalists under Sri Lankan State and Security Apparatus Since the End of the armed conflict.

Edited By: Wimal Navaratnam-ABC Tamil Oli

1          Introduction

Over fifteen years since the formal end of Sri Lanka’s brutal civil war, the country’s Tamil journalists have remained at the frontlines of risk, their profession marked by unprecedented harassment, legal persecution, intimidation, assaults, disappearances, and killings. Instead of a new dawn of reconciliation and press freedom, the experiences of Tamil journalists in the post-2009 era have reflected persistent state oppression, entrenched impunity for abuses, and a climate where press freedoms, particularly for those reporting on minority concerns, remain under siege. This report systematically examines the multi-faceted threats faced by Tamil journalists from 2009 to the present day, drawing upon a wide range of cases, press freedom indices, legal developments, and political dynamics.

The analysis is anchored in extensive documentary evidence, field reports, legal and political records, and the responses of both national and international organizations. It underscores not only the direct hazards facing individual media practitioners, but the broader implications for human rights, democratic governance, and a pluralistic media landscape in Sri Lanka.

1.1         Methodology

To ensure a rigorous and comprehensive approach, this report synthesizes evidence from multiple reputable sources, including:

• Field reports, legal documents, and direct testimonies published by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Human Rights Watch (HRW), and Front Line Defenders;
• News articles, features, and investigative reports by international and Sri Lankan Tamil media outlets, including the Tamil Guardian, TamilNet, JDS Lanka, and others;
• Official press freedom indices and scores from RSF, CIVICUS, and UNESCO;
• Statements from Sri Lankan and international advocacy organizations, including Amnesty International and the International Federation of Journalists;
• Accounts and resolutions from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and other intergovernmental bodies;
• Sri Lanka government policy documents, draft media laws, and court records on key cases;
• Updates from Sri Lankan journalist associations, especially those dedicated to Tamil media personnel.

A qualitative approach was adopted to contextualize quantitative data and incident lists within the enduring structures of legal repression, impunity, and targeted violence specific to the Tamil media community.

2          Post-2009 Violence and the 'Culture of Impunity'

2.1         The Immediate Aftermath: Violence as State Policy

In May 2009, the Sri Lankan government declared victory in its 26-year civil war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). This military triumph, however, came at significant cost for the nation’s press – especially ethnic Tamil journalists. During and immediately after the final offensives, numerous journalists reporting on war crimes, disappearances, and the humanitarian crisis in the North and East were attacked, threatened, or killed with almost total impunity.

According to leading global monitors, between 2004 and 2010 at least 44 journalists (41 Tamil, 2 Sinhalese, 1 Muslim) were killed or disappeared, a violence level that placed Sri Lanka among the world’s deadliest countries for media workers. The violence was not only physical but extended to enforced disappearances, prolonged detentions, abductions, and property destruction. The scale was starkly disproportionate: Tamils, who comprise roughly 12% of Sri Lanka’s population, made up nearly 90% of identified press victims.

3          Case Study: The Lasantha Wickrematunge Assassination

One of the most widely publicized post-2009 cases was the assassination of Lasantha Wickrematunge, editor of The Sunday Leader, on January 8, 2009. Wickrematunge, a Sinhalese journalist with a legacy of critical reporting on government corruption and the military’s conduct, was killed in broad daylight, after a sustained campaign of threats and legal harassment. Despite repeated promises by successive governments to bring his killers to justice, the investigation has been marred by stalling, concealment of evidence, intimidation of witnesses, and political interference. Key suspects, including intelligence and police officials, have never been convicted; in 2025, all remaining suspects were released without charge, symbolizing the enduring culture of impunity.

Wickrematunge’s case became emblematic for the fate of other, primarily Tamil, journalists during this period. Investigations into the murder of Tamil journalists such as Dharmeratnam Sivaram (2005), Nadesan (2004), and the ongoing disappearance of Prageeth Eknaligoda (2010) remain unresolved, further entrenching the pattern of state-sanctioned exemption from accountability.

3.1         Patterns and Modalities of Harassment (2009–2025)

3.1.1           Key Modalities of Suppression

During the period under review, the harassment of Tamil journalists in Sri Lanka took numerous, often overlapping, forms:

• Physical attacks and assaults: Intimidation through beatings, armed assaults, and attempted murder.
• Abductions and disappearances: “White van” kidnappings—so-called for the unmarked vans used to abduct victims, often linked to military intelligence units (e.g., the “Tripoli Platoon”).
• Legal harassment and arbitrary arrest: Arrests and prolonged detentions under anti-terror laws, especially the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
• Digital harassment and surveillance: Monitoring, hacking, online threats, and exposure of journalists’ private data.
• Intimidation of families and associates: Targeting of journalists’ families or pressuring colleagues to limit coverage.
• Blocking, censoring, and closure of Tamil media outlets.
• Denial of accreditation, visas, and access to conflict areas.

3.2         Case Examples

1. Murukaiya Thamilselvan (2025): A freelance Tamil journalist narrowly escaped a kidnapping attempt after reporting on organized crime and government corruption; the suspects identified by the journalist were released on bail days after their arrest.
2. Selvakumar Nilanthan and Sasikaran Punniyamoorthy (2023–2025): Both journalists faced repeated summoning for interrogation, threats of arrest, and ultimately criminal charges linked to their reporting on protests, land-grabs, and government accountability. Punniyamoorthy was forced into exile due to sustained threats; his elderly father was later subjected to police interrogation in his absence.
3. Batticaloa Press Club Journalists (2020–2023): Multiple Tamil journalists, including Valasingham Krishnakumar, faced physical assaults, mob attacks by Sinhalese groups allegedly backed by state actors, and legal harassment after covering land rights protests, environmental abuses, and police brutality in the East.
4. Murugupillai Kokulathasan (2021-present): Arrested under the PTA for social media posts commemorating Tamil war dead. Despite international calls for release, Kokulathasan has spent over 225 days in pre-trial “Kafkaesque” detention without charge for reporting on memorialization events.
5. Shanmugam Thavaseelan and Kanapathipillai Kumanan (2019–2024): Repeatedly assaulted while reporting on civil society issues and state-backed Buddhist encroachment on Tamil symbolic and religious sites. One assault in Mullaitivu left Thavaseelan hospitalized; Kumanan was warned of “worse violence” if the attack was reported.

These cases are not isolated, but reflect a systemic pattern of targeting of Tamil journalists documenting issues deemed sensitive by the state—generally those involving accountability for past abuses, minority land and religious rights, and ongoing discrimination.

4          Legal Framework and Anti-Terror Laws: The Weaponization of the PTA

4.1         Origins and Sustained Use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA)

First enacted as an emergency measure in 1979, the Sri Lankan Prevention of Terrorism Act became a central pillar of repression—especially against Tamil journalists and activists. The PTA permits detention without trial for up to 18 months (later “reduced” to 12 months in recent amendments), the use of confessions extracted under duress, and sweeping surveillance and prosecutorial powers.

Throughout the civil war and after, the PTA has provided a legal veneer for arbitrary arrests, often on vague allegations of “incitement to communal disharmony” or “LTTE sympathies.” The law thereby enables the criminalization of reporting on Tamil suffering, memorialization, or even routine civil rights protests. International observers have identified the PTA as a driver of prolonged arbitrary detentions, widespread torture, and denial of due process for those arrested—disproportionately affecting Tamil journalists and minority rights activists.

4.2         Recent Trends and the “Online Safety Bill”

Despite pledges by successive governments to reform the PTA, actual legal changes have been mostly cosmetic, leaving intact the provisions most conducive to abuse—such as allowing confessions under torture, detention incommunicado, and lack of judicial oversight. Amendments in 2022 did “reduce” some periods for detention, but advocacy groups including the United Nations have condemned the ongoing abuses facilitated by the Act.

The passage of the Online Safety Act in 2024, which mandates a presidentially-appointed commission to monitor and remove “dissenting voices” from digital platforms, represents a further step in codified censorship, particularly targeting social media-based Tamil outlets and independent digital newsrooms.

4.3         The Chilling Effect

The “legal black hole” created by the PTA, and the threat of further digital repression, fosters a climate of fear among Tamil reporters, forcing many into self-censorship or exile. As noted by CPJ and RSF, the threat of arrest for routine reporting on matters of legitimate public interest has become a central mechanism of state control.

5          Political Context, Security Forces, and State Backing

5.1         The Rajapaksa Era (2005–2015): Militarization and White Van Abductions

The presidency of Mahinda Rajapaksa, and the powerful role played by his brother, Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, marked the height of state-enabled violence against journalists. The “white van commandos” and the “Tripoli Platoon,” shadowy units reporting directly to the Rajapaksas, were implicated in dozens of abductions, assassinations, and intimidation campaigns against those deemed critical of the state or too probing on issues related to the war in the Tamil-majority North and East.

Internal investigations and court testimony, including by lead CID detective Nishantha Silva, have repeatedly confirmed high-level command responsibility for the campaign of terror waged against the media, especially against Tamil journalists, yet state impunity has remained all but total.

5.2         Ongoing Militarization and Surveillance

Even after the Rajapaksa regime, the persistent presence of the military and intelligence agencies in the North and East, and their involvement in suppressing Tamil journalists, remains largely unchanged. Journalists report not only overt threats, but subtle surveillance, arbitrary roadblocks, and the refusal by authorities to register or act on complaints when the perpetrators of intimidation are security force members or associated groups.

In recent years, the return to office or undeclared “recall” of notorious military officials (such as Maj. Prabath Bulathwatte, previously implicated in journalist murders) reinforced fears of a state apparatus unwilling to break with the past.

6          Legal Intimidation and Judicial Outcomes

6.1         Persistent Use of Law as a Tool for Intimidation

The repeated interrogation and jailing of journalists under vague “terrorism” or “disharmony” charges showcases the persistent weaponization of law to silence dissent. Court orders have compelled Tamil reporters to surrender video footage, reveal contacts, or face contempt proceedings for failing to comply. In many instances, journalists have been denied timely access to counsel, faced inordinate delays in trial, or been held in remand for periods far exceeding the term of any eventual sentence.

For example, the legal battle against journalists such as Punniyamoorthy Sasikaran and Krishnakumar has spanned years, involving repeated court summons, criminal investigations, and orders compelling the handover of sensitive footage—actions condemned as legal harassment intended to silence critical coverage of discrimination and rights violations.

6.2         Culture of Impunity

The judicial system’s failure to hold state or paramilitary actors accountable for violence against journalists remains perhaps the clearest structural obstacle to progress. For over a decade, not a single conviction has been secured for the disappearances or killings of at least 44 journalists in the mid-2000s (of whom the vast majority were Tamil). High-profile investigations have been subverted, further undermining victims’ faith in the possibility of justice.

Moreover, courts have sometimes issued restraining orders to prevent coverage of commemorative events, protests, or even legitimate reporting on government policy, expanding the space of censorship by judicial fiat.

7          Digital Harassment, Surveillance, and Emerging Threats

7.1         Systematic Surveillance and Online Threats

With the proliferation of digital media, Tamil journalists and outlets increasingly face threats not only in the physical world but in cyberspace. Online harassment campaigns, doxxing, and orchestrated attacks against journalists and their families have become routine, with little to no recourse from law enforcement.

The new Online Safety Act empowers authorities to demand removal of content, ban digital news outlets, and threaten journalists with prosecution for online reporting deemed to “disturb national harmony” or “embarrass the country”—deliberately undefined terms that allow maximal discretion and political abuse.

7.2         Exile and Diaspora Media

Unable to operate safely at home, many Tamil journalists have been forced into exile, relocating press operations to the diaspora. While this may offer a partial shelter, regimes of transnational repression, threats to families, and Sri Lankan bureaucracy (e.g., arrest warrants, harassment of relatives) continue to reach across borders, attempting to silence critical reporting even from abroad.

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8          The Role of International Organizations and Advocacy

8.1         Sustained International Advocacy

International organizations have consistently documented, condemned, and raised alarm over the endemic hazards faced by Tamil media workers in Sri Lanka. RSF, CPJ, UNESCO, IFJ, Amnesty International, and the UNHRC have jointly issued statements, organized People’s Tribunals, and lobbied for accountability, including “naming and shaming” systematic state impunity.

Calls for investigations, visa bans for suspected rights abusers, and the creation of international accountability mechanisms illustrate the recognition that the Sri Lankan domestic legal system has failed to provide justice for journalists.

8.2         Policy Engagement and Outcomes

Despite these efforts, substantive legal and policy change has proven elusive. The passage of the National Media Policy and some moderation in Sri Lanka’s most recent ranking in global press freedom indices (from 150th to 139th of 180 in the RSF list in 2025) have not translated into meaningful improvements on the ground, especially outside Colombo and among Tamil journalists in the provinces. Press freedom reports uniformly attest to ongoing legal, social, economic, and physical insecurity, with attacks on minority and dissenting media continuing almost unabated.

9          Press Freedom Indices and International Standing

9.1         Global Indices: A Bleak Picture

The annual RSF World Press Freedom Index and CIVICUS Monitor both rank Sri Lanka as a country where journalism is “difficult” or “very serious,” especially for Tamil and independent media. The Index dropped the country to 150th in 2024 (from 135th), only rising marginally to 139th in 2025 amid widespread flaws in the ability of Tamil voices to report safely or independently.

Indicators consistently cited as drivers of poor press freedom include:

• State control and concentration of media ownership;
• Lack of editorial independence in both state and most private outlets due to political interference;
• Use of anti-terror legislation and new digital safety laws to criminalize dissent;
• Persistent impunity for journalist killings and attacks, especially in the North and East (the Tamil-majority regions);
• Systematic digital and physical surveillance, particularly targeting those reporting on minority rights, political corruption, and security forces;

9.2         Regional Focus: North and East (Tamil Homeland)

Amidst broader national trends, Tamil journalists working in the Northern and Eastern provinces (the historical Tamil-speaking regions) are the most vulnerable. These areas remain heavily militarized, subject to arbitrary restrictions, ongoing security operations, and regular state surveillance. Reports by the Jaffna Press Club and regional associations consistently describe a context where even basic news-gathering on public protests, land rights, or local disputes can result in threats, arrest, or worse.

10  The Landscape of Tamil Media Outlets and Associations

10.1  Resilience Amid Risk

Despite relentless pressure, the Tamil media community has displayed considerable resilience. Tamil journalists—both in Sri Lanka and the diaspora—have continually sought to report on issues affecting their communities in the face of direct threats. Outlets such as Uthayan, Thinakaran, TamilNet, and a host of new digital platforms continue to document abuses, human rights violations, and grassroots mobilization, often at great personal risk.

New associations, notably the All Ceylon Tamil Journalists’ Association launched in 2025, seek to unify the efforts of regional journalists and advocate for their protection, professionalism, and support networks. Such organizations have been critical to documenting abuses, mobilizing rapid solidarity when journalists are attacked, and providing connections to international advocacy groups and legal aid.

11  Patterns of Digital Harassment and the New Frontiers of Risk

11.1  Coordinated Cyber-Attacks and Online Abuse

As Tamil media adapted to the digital age, their exposure to new forms of harassment expanded. RSF and local digital rights advocates have documented coordinated attacks, including:

• Doxxing: Publication of private information and threats against journalists’ families
• Hacked accounts and websites
• Social media smear campaigns to discredit or intimidate journalists, especially women and those working on war crimes documentation

Such digital threats are often paired with offline risks, as assailants frequently act with apparent impunity, and law enforcement fails to investigate or protect victims.

12  Impact on Journalists and Broader Implications

12.1  Psychological and Professional Toll

The relentless pattern of harassment, as confirmed by first-person accounts and field studies, inflicts a severe toll on Tamil journalists:

• Psychological trauma from repeated threats and attacks;
• Disruption of family life and social ostracism, driving some to abandon the profession;
• Self-censorship on sensitive topics, limiting the public’s right to information;
• Exile and diaspora: Dozens of journalists have fled, creating a “brain drain” and fragmenting the local media ecosystem.

12.2  Democracy, Pluralism, and Human Rights

The suppression of the Tamil press is not a niche minority issue—it is a fundamental issue of democracy, pluralism, and social justice for all Sri Lankans. Where journalists are harassed with impunity, especially for investigating state abuse, corruption, or minority grievances, the basic building blocks of democratic governance crumble. The ongoing crisis in Sri Lankan press freedom thus reflects—and contributes to—a broader crisis of accountability and rights for marginalized groups.

13  Impunity and the Future: Prospects for Justice

The perpetuation of impunity is the signal failure of both the Sri Lankan state and its international partners. Despite periodic rhetorical commitments to accountability (especially during elections), over a decade of hard evidence implicating state actors in murders, abductions, and systematic harassment has yielded almost no justice for Tamil journalists.

While the accession of Anura Kumara Dissanayake as president in 2024 was, for some, a ray of hope (with promises to reopen files and revisit cases), the effective release of all remaining suspects in the Wickrematunge murder in early 2025, and lack of concerted prosecutions in other cases, suggests the structural barriers to justice remain formidable. Without international pressure and continued mobilization from Sri Lankan and diaspora civil society, the inertia of impunity is likely to persist.

13.1  Table: Patterns and Tools of Harassment against Tamil Journalists, 2009–2025

Harassment/Tool	Description	Typical Perpetrator(s)	Main Legal/Extra-Legal Instruments	Noted Cases and Effects
Physical assaults	Beatings, attacks with weapons, torture	Security forces, mobs	General criminal impunity	Kumanan, Thavaseelan, Uthayan staff
“White van” abductions	Forced disappearances by unmarked vehicles	Military intelligence units	None (criminal acts)	Sivaram, Eknaligoda, multiple abductions
Arbitrary arrests	Detentions for reporting or commentary	Police, intelligence	PTA, ICCPR Act	Kokulathasan, Sasikaran, Krishnakumar
Legal intimidation	Court orders, summons, SLAPP cases	Police, government lawyers	PTA, vague “disharmony” charges	Punniyamoorthy, family interrogations, press bans
Digital harassment	Threats via social media, hacking, doxxing	State-backed cyber actors	Online Safety Act, cybercrime laws	Online exposures, family threats, coordinated campaigns
Surveillance	Stalking, monitors in communities	Military, local officials	Intelligence mandates	Regular reports by Jaffna and Batticaloa journalists
Censorship	Blocking outlets, denial of access	Telecoms, press councils	Executive orders, regulatory power	Repeated shutdowns of Tamil TV, digital bans
Exile & diaspora targeting	Threats to families of exiled journalists	Security apparatus	Immigration warrants, legal notices	Punniyamoorthy, Lokeesan, others being harassed in exile

Note: Each pattern is extensively documented in referenced sources; this table provides an overview for clarity.

Analysis Paragraph:
This summary table demonstrates that harassment against Tamil journalists is both pervasive and systemic, employing an arsenal of physical, legal, and digital means. The deliberate ambiguity in the framing of anti-terror and online safety laws, combined with the unchecked powers of security and intelligence services in the North and East, creates a “matrix of insecurity” where journalists face threats at every step of the reporting process. Impunity is maintained not only through legal doctrine but the deliberate inaction or obstruction by the state in investigations, ensuring that those who target journalists rarely face consequences. As seen in the many specific cases, individual journalists often experience several forms of harassment simultaneously, compounding the chilling effect on the Tamil media as a whole.

14  Regional Focus: North and East—A Climate of Fear

14.1  Militarization and Regional Suppression

In Tamil-majority regions, particularly Jaffna, Kilinochchi, Mullaitivu, and Batticaloa, the security presence is overwhelming—one soldier for every three civilians, according to some tallies (Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, 2021). This environment allows for ongoing daily monitoring of reporters’ movements, intimidation at protests or public events, and the routine questioning of journalists by intelligence officers. Tamil journalists operating in these areas often report being followed, photographed, or summoned for “inquiries” after covering sensitive topics such as land grabs, enforced disappearances, or memorial events for war victims.

The militarized landscape not only restricts physical movement but also creates a psychological barrier to free expression. Journalists have described the pervasive fear of surveillance and reprisals, which has led many to self-censor or avoid politically sensitive reporting altogether (Amnesty International, 2022). In some cases, media workers have been detained without charge under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), a draconian law that has been widely criticized for enabling arbitrary arrests and prolonged detention (Human Rights Watch, 2020).

Local media outlets in the North and East also face economic and structural challenges. Many operate with limited resources, and their staff are often young freelancers or volunteers who lack institutional protection. This makes them especially vulnerable to threats and coercion. The lack of Tamil-language media representation in national platforms further isolates these journalists, leaving their stories unheard and their safety concerns unaddressed.

15  Legal Framework and Systemic Violations

15.1  The Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and Its Weaponization

Since the end of the civil war in 2009, the Sri Lankan government has repeatedly used the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to silence dissent, particularly among Tamil journalists. The PTA allows for detention without trial for up to 18 months, and its vague definitions of “terrorism” have been used to criminalize journalistic inquiry into post-war abuses, memorialization efforts, and calls for accountability (International Commission of Jurists, 2021).

Tamil journalists have been disproportionately targeted under this law. For example, in 2020, journalist K. Thavarajah was detained for allegedly “promoting separatism” after reporting on Tamil commemorative events. His arrest drew condemnation from international watchdogs, who noted that his work fell squarely within the bounds of protected speech (Reporters Without Borders, 2020).

16  Judicial Harassment and Surveillance

Beyond the PTA, Tamil journalists face routine judicial harassment. Court summons, defamation suits, and police interrogations are frequently used to intimidate reporters and delay publication of sensitive stories. In many cases, journalists are forced to appear in court multiple times without formal charges, draining their time and resources and creating a chilling effect on press freedom (Committee to Protect Journalists, 2021).

Surveillance is another tool of suppression. Journalists in the North and East have reported that their phone calls are monitored, their social media activity tracked, and their sources intimidated. This has eroded trust between reporters and communities, making investigative journalism nearly impossible in some areas.

17  Lack of Institutional Redress

Despite these violations, there is little institutional recourse for Tamil journalists. The Sri Lanka Press Council, a government-appointed body, has been criticized for lacking independence and failing to protect journalists from state abuse. Complaints lodged by Tamil media workers are often ignored or dismissed, reinforcing the perception that the system is stacked against them (Freedom House, 2022).

18  Notable Cases and International Response

18.1  High-Profile Cases of Harassment and Violence

Several emblematic cases illustrate the scale and persistence of threats faced by Tamil journalists:

• Uthayan Newspaper Attacks: Based in Jaffna, Uthayan has been targeted multiple times since 2009. Its offices were firebombed in 2013, and staff members have been assaulted and threatened repeatedly. Despite these attacks, the paper continues to publish, symbolizing resistance against state repression (Reporters Without Borders, 2013).
• Prageeth Eknaligoda: Though not Tamil, Eknaligoda’s case is central to understanding the culture of impunity. The cartoonist and journalist disappeared in 2010 after investigating alleged use of chemical weapons by the Sri Lankan military. His case remains unresolved, and Tamil journalists cite it as evidence of the risks involved in probing military conduct (Human Rights Watch, 2015).
• Sharmila Ravindran: A Tamil journalist from Batticaloa, Ravindran was repeatedly summoned by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in 2019 after reporting on land seizures. She later fled the country, citing credible threats to her life (Amnesty International, 2020).

19  International Condemnation and Advocacy

Global organizations have consistently raised alarms about the treatment of Tamil journalists:

• United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions since 2012 have called for accountability and protection of civil liberties, including press freedom in post-war Sri Lanka. Tamil journalists are often cited in these reports as victims of systemic abuse (UNHRC, 2021).
• Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has ranked Sri Lanka poorly in its World Press Freedom Index, noting that Tamil media workers face “institutionalized discrimination and violence” (RSF, 2023).
• International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) have documented dozens of cases of harassment, urging Sri Lanka to reform its media laws and protect minority journalists.

Despite these efforts, meaningful change has been slow. While some legal reforms have been proposed, such as amending the PTA, Tamil journalists continue to operate in a climate of fear, with little assurance of safety or justice.

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📘 Methodology

This report draws on a combination of:

• Primary sources: Testimonies from Tamil journalists, legal documents, and interviews published by human rights organizations.
• Secondary sources: Reports from NGOs, international watchdogs, and academic studies on media freedom in Sri Lanka.
• Media analysis: Coverage from Tamil-language newspapers, independent Sri Lankan outlets, and international press.
• Legal reviews: Examination of the Prevention of Terrorism Act and other relevant legislation affecting press freedom.

The timeframe analyzed spans from May 2009 (end of the civil war) to August 2025, with a regional focus on the Northern and Eastern provinces of Sri Lanka.

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📚 References

• Amnesty International. (2020). Sri Lanka: Journalists under siege. https://www.amnesty.org
• Committee to Protect Journalists. (2021). Sri Lanka: Press freedom under pressure. https://cpj.org
• Freedom House. (2022). Freedom in the World: Sri Lanka. https://freedomhouse.org
• Human Rights Watch. (2015, 2020). Sri Lanka: Enforced disappearances and media repression. https://hrw.org
• International Commission of Jurists. (2021). Sri Lanka’s PTA and its impact on civil liberties. https://icj.org
• Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka. (2021). Militarization and media suppression. https://jdslanka.org
• Reporters Without Borders. (2013, 2023). World Press Freedom Index: Sri Lanka. https://rsf.org
• United Nations Human Rights Council. (2021). Resolution on Sri Lanka. https://ohchr.org

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⚠️ Disclaimer

This report is intended for educational and advocacy purposes. It does not constitute legal advice. All data and testimonies cited are publicly available and sourced from credible institutions. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, the political and security landscape in Sri Lanka is fluid, and conditions may change.

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📝 Editor’s Note

The struggle of Tamil journalists in Sri Lanka is not merely a media issue—it is a human rights crisis. Their courage in reporting under surveillance, intimidation, and threat of violence is a testament to the enduring power of truth. As global attention shifts, it is vital that these voices are not forgotten. Journalism must be protected—not punished.

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