Threatening with a firearm and obstructing the work of the media!
Journalist Sulanshan says he was threatened with a firearm while covering the news.
Sulakshan, 29, a resident of Thondamanaru, Main Street, had lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission on March 7, 2022 regarding the attempted arrest of a police officer at gunpoint.
The incident took place on the second day of December 2021. When he went to the Point Pedro court premises to cover the news, a Point Pedro police officer who had a confrontation with him tried to arrest him by pointing a firearm at the Point Pedro police station, alleging that this was an abuse of power.
He further stated that he has CCTV footage of the incident as evidence. In a complaint lodged with the Human Rights Commission on December 3, 2021, Mr. Sulakshan sought protection and justice for the case being heard.
Many journalists have complained about the security forces’ frequent harassment and intimidation of journalists while covering the news. This is a human rights violation and such acts take place in a context where there is no justifiable reason. There have also been numerous complaints of journalists being threatened at gunpoint, assaulted or severely warned in protest of such incidents. The sole purpose of making such threats is to undermine the activism of journalists.
Bringing the news to the people in a proper manner is a major role of journalists. They do the work in the face of various difficulties and the price they pay for it is high. No one has the power or the right to handcuff journalists who hold this huge responsibility for the public. In comparison, journalists like Sulakshan are in a precarious position of not being able to perform their duties fully in the context of the various threats and human rights abuses faced by journalists working in the Northern Province after the war.
In such a backdrop, more attention should be paid to ensuring security. The main demand of all journalists, including Sulakshan, is that steps be taken to ensure justice in this case and that the relevant parties take steps to ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.
– Journalist J. Sulakshan
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