Marking International Press Freedom Day, the Jaffna Press Club (JPC) held a protest on 3 May in front of its premises on Rasavinthottam Road, drawing journalists, editors, and media workers to demand justice for slain journalists and an end to impunity for attacks on the press.
The demonstration began around 3 p.m., with participants holding placards and chanting slogans calling for investigations into unresolved murders of journalists and attacks on media institutions. Protesters highlighted that more than a decade after the end of the armed conflict, Sri Lanka has failed to hold perpetrators accountable for numerous crimes against Tamil journalists, including the assassinations of veteran reporters.
This year’s protest came amid renewed concerns about the safety and freedom of media workers on the island, particularly in the North-East. Journalists also raised alarm over the recent intimidation of a Colombo-based photographer who captured a now-viral image of Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake during the May Day rally organised by the ruling National People’s Power (NPP). The photo, which featured Dissanayake with a hammer and sickle behind him, was reportedly ordered to be taken down from official platforms, and the photographer faced pressure from state authorities. The JPC condemned the incident as a disturbing act of censorship that signals growing intolerance toward independent visual journalism.
Participants at the Jaffna protest reiterated that journalists in Tamil areas continue to operate under surveillance and the threat of reprisal. They also criticised the continuing expansion of state-sanctioned digital surveillance under laws such as the Online Safety Act, which grants sweeping powers to the government to police online content and silence dissenting voices.
The protest in Jaffna follows the release of the 2025 World Press Freedom Index by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which ranked Sri Lanka 139th out of 180 countries—placing it among nations where the conditions for practising journalism are considered "very serious".
