Run up to the Northern Elections Attack on Udayan: Creation of fear psychosis among residents
30 April 2013

Campaign For Free and Fair Elections (CaFFE) and Centre for Human Rights and Research (CHR) express deep concern over the continuous attacks on media in the North and the creation of a fear psychosis among the residents of the area in the run up to the Northern Provincial Council Elections. Uthayan newspaper infrastructure was attacked once again last Saturday (April 13,) the 30th attack on the paper since 1985, the second attack on the paper in the last fortnight. The attacks on independent publications in the North have increased this year, earlier in February a newspaper distributor for Thinakural newspaper was assaulted while another Uthayan journalist was assaulted in January. These continuous assaults on the media industry have caused great harm to the country’s international image.

Although we cannot fathom the reasons for these attacks with certainty the impact these attacks have made internationally is quite visible. The international media and human rights/press freedom NGOs have picked up the attack adding to the international civil society’s pressure on their governments to take action against Sri Lanka. While the attacks on media was not directly motioned by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA,) Commonwealth Legal Education Association (CLEA,) and Commonwealth Magistrates’ and Judges’ Association (CMJA,) who passed a resolution against Sri Lanka yesterday (April 18,) they have mentioned serious breaches in the rule of law in the country. In addition the suppression of media and , restricting the activities of civil society groups in the North has acted as a main barrier for normalization and lead to a distrust of the state. The Sri Lankan government so far has acted with great nonchalance about these attacks ignoring repeated warnings from many sectors that these attacks do strengthen the call for an international inquiry against Sri Lanka. We urge the government to take immediate steps to assure the safety of media workers in the North and in Sri Lanka which will contribute to the strengthening of democracy. Rajith Keerthi Tennakoon Executive Director/CaFFE Tel. 0777 791225 April 19th, 2013