TNS Corner
EDITORIAL: Focus turns to Sri Lanka as World celebrates Press Freedom Day

May 3, 2005, 03:20

Every year, May 3^rd is a date which celebrates the fundamental principles of press freedom; to evaluate press freedom around the world, to defend the media from attacks on their independence and to pay tribute to journalists who have lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

Last year, on May 3^rd, Sri Lankan special police raided and searched the house of veteran Tamil journalist Dharmaratnam Sivaram in the middle of the night.  The international media watch dog, reporters without borders (RSF), “deplored the post-midnight raid as unjustified and said it was worried about his safety.” RSF called on the government “to provide genuine guarantees for his (Sivaram’s) safety.” 

In spite of the caution, Sri Lanka has grabbed international spotlight again this year as we mark the World Press Freedom Day because of the same reporter.  We are finding ourselves without world renowned reporter, Dharmaratnam Sivaram.  He was assassinated last week by assailants widely believed to have had political backing.  And the evidence for this belief is compelling. 

That Sivaram was kidnapped in an area adjacent to a police station and his bullet-ridden body disposed just mere meters before the symbol of Sri Lankan democracy – the parliament – is a tragic and sobering reminder to Tamil journalists and the larger international community about the ground realities in Sri Lanka.

World Press Freedom Day serves as an occasion to inform citizens of violations of press freedom - a reminder that in dozens of countries around the world, publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and even murdered.

Sri Lanka’s shameful history on press freedom as illustrated in the unsolved high-profile murders of senior Tamil journalists like Mylvaganam Nimalrajan and Ayyadurai Nadesan is a strong statement about the state’s commitment to freedom of press.

Kofi Annan’s statement about the World Press Freedom Day today strikes the chord in the matter. “On World Press Freedom Day, therefore, we pay tribute to those who have fallen victim to the perils of their calling,” Annan stated about the significance of the day. There is no doubt that peace loving people and those who love freedom will honour the valiant Mr. Sivaram.

What has to be questioned is Annan’s reminder to governments.  Annan says in his statement, “And we remind Governments especially that the right to ‘seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media’ is enshrined in article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.”  

Last year’s caution by RSF on threats to Sivaram’s life was tragically ignored by the Sri Lankan state.   And if we are to learn anything from Sivaram’s oft-repeated criticisms about the Sinhala state’s inability and unwillingness to change, it is that Annan’s feeble reminder about the importance of human rights will be dismissed and ignored by a state like Sri Lanka. 

This day serves as a reminder to governments of the need to respect their commitment to press freedom and is also a day of reflection among media professionals about issues of press freedom and professional ethics.  It is also a day of remembrance for those journalists who lost their lives in the exercise of their profession.

On this day, the World remembers Mr. Sivaram as a person who sacrificed his life in the exercise of his profession. The onus is on the Sri Lankan state is to prove its value for this day by bringing those responsible for Sivaram’s murder to justice.  Otherwise, the significance of the day will be ever-elusive for this island nation