Jaffna journalists demand justice

Jaffna-based journalists staged a protest outside the Jaffna District Secretariat, demanding justice for Tamil journalists who were killed or made to disappear during the armed conflict and its aftermath. The demonstration, organized by the Jaffna Press Club, took place outside the venue where a government workshop for journalists from Jaffna and Kilinochchi districts was held.

Deputy Minister of Mass Media, Kaushalya Ariyaratne, entered the secretariat through a different entrance while the journalists chanted slogans for justice at the main entrance. Protesters attempted to enter the building to present their demands directly, but their access was blocked by a large police presence. They continued their call for justice for slain and disappeared Tamil journalists despite the obstruction.

K. Selvakumar, the President of the Jaffna Press Club, criticized the Deputy Minister's refusal to engage with protesting journalists, stating that it demonstrated the National People’s Power government's lack of commitment to securing justice for murdered journalists. Selvakumar pointed out that two years had passed since the administration took office and contrasted the Deputy Minister's conduct with that of previous Media Ministers, who had at least been willing to meet journalists and discuss the lack of progress in investigations.