A report about the plight of the press in northern Sri Lanka, entitled "Jaffna's media in the grip of terror" was released today by Reporters Without Borders and International Media Support, two members of the international press freedom mission to Sri Lanka, that carried out a joint fact-finding mission to Sri Lanka in June.

Grave press freedom violations have been taking place in the isolated, Tamil-populated Jaffna peninsula, which has been badly hit by the fighting between government forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).

Journalists have been the victims of murders, threats, kidnappings and censorship. At least seven media workers have been killed since May 2006, when the newspaper Uthayan was attacked by armed militiamen.

The organizations that make up the international press freedom mission condemn the climate of violence and impunity that has made this one of the world's most dangerous regions for the press. They also condemn the failure of the security forces to put an end to the attacks on the press, as well as the unacceptable harassment by both government and LTTE of the few journalists still working in the peninsula.

"Jaffna's media in the grip of terror" is the first of three reports being prepared by the international mission. The results of its investigations in the east of the island and in Colombo will be published in the coming weeks.

Last March, the international mission published a fact-finding report on the overall press freedom situation in Sri Lanka, entitled "The Struggle for Survival". It included recommendations to all parties to the conflict about the safety of journalists and official and unofficial censorship.

[The report "Jaffna's media in the grip of terror" is available on the RSF site at: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=23380]

Source: Reporters Sans Frontieres press release, Paris, in English 24 Aug 07

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