Sri Lanka: Restrictions imposed on Uthayan daily violates peoples’ right to information

NfR Press release

According to the press freedom watch dog, the Free Media Movement of Sri Lanka, the Jaffna Municipal Council has prohibited all government offices, departments and establishment, including libraries in Jaffna from subscribing to or purchasing the Uthayan newspaper. The Council has also requested government officials not to invite any journalists from the newspaper to cover state events, interact with the journalists, provide any information or send press releases to this newspaper. Uthayan’s readership far exceed all other newspapers printed or sold in the Jaffna Peninsula and is owned by Mr. Saravanapavan, a Tamil National Alliance Member of Parliament for the Jaffna District.

NfR views this undemocratic action as a continuation of suppression of freedom of expression and the right to information in Sri Lanka. Furthermore this is an intimidation and an indirect threat to the media in general and the independent Tamil media in Sri Lanka, in particular.

NfR expresses its serious concern over this decision of the Jaffna Municipal Council. which is controlled by the ruling coalition in the country. There is no other media outlet in Sri Lanka other than the Uthayan, which has faced untold sufferings due to continuous intimidations and threats by state actors. During the conflict the Uthayan news paper has played a vital role in providing information to people over the last three decades under very trying circumstances. It is in that context that NfR expresses its view that banning Uthayan from government institutions is a clear violation of the right to information.

In condemning this undemocratic action by the Jaffna Municipal Council, perhaps at the behest of the ruling party, the NfR expresses its solidarity with Uthayan and its staff in their endeavour to provide news and alternate points of view on current events to it readership.

Issued by

Steering Committee, NfR Sri Lanka

Steering committee : Kshama Ranawana ( Canada) Lionel Bopage ( Australia), Nadarasa Sarawanan (Norway), Nadarajah Kuruparan(UK) Padmi Liyanage (Germany), Raveendran Pradeepan (France), Rudhramoorthy Cheran (Canada), Saman Wagaarachchi ( USA), Sunanda Deshapriya ( Switzerland)

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NfR statement 12.04.11 Restrictions imposed on Uthayan daily violates peoples’ right to information.pdf