Tamil photojournalist and human rights advocate Kanapathipillai Kumanan was interrogated by Sri Lanka’s counter-terrorism police on August 17 after reporting on mass grave excavations in the country’s Northern Province. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliates, the Federation of Media Employees Trade Unions (FMETU) and the Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association (SLWJA), in condemning the consistent intimidation and harassment of Tamil media workers and urges the authorities to ensure all journalists can work without fear of reprisal.
Tamil photojournalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan was interrogated by Sri Lankan counter-terrorism police on August 17. Credit: Facebook
Kumanan received an order on August 7 from the Sri Lanka Counter Terrorism Investigation Division (CTID) to appear for questioning at the division’s Alampil office on August 17. The notice gave no reason for the inquiry, but the journalist was reportedly informed via telephone that the summons was in connection with his posts to social media. In a letter to Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission, the CTID alleged Kumanan’s reporting was ‘disrespectful to the military’ with the potential to incite unrest between the authorities and Tamil people.
The journalist had been documenting the excavation of mass graves in the Chammani and Kokkuthodvai sites in Sri Lanka’s Tamil-majority north in August, with more than 140 skeletons exhumed over 41 days. Kumanan’s photos had been widely shared by advocacy groups and news outlets prior to his police summons.
According to a statement published to Facebook on August 18, Kumanan said he was questioned extensively for almost 7 hours on his journalism and photography, social media, financial activity, phone records, and overseas travel. The president of Mullaitivu Press Club, Kumanan has reported on a range of human rights issues, including environmental destruction, military land acquisition, and enforced disappearances since the end of the Sri Lankan civil war in 2009, and consistently documents campaigns for justice and ongoing issues experienced by survivor communities.
Kumanan has faced ongoing harassment from authorities for his journalism, including being assaulted by police whilst reporting at a temple in Neeraviyadi Pillaiyar in 2019, an attack while investigating illegal logging in 2020, and threats from officials during a report on a Tamil landowner dispute in 2021. In 2022, Kumanan was blockaded and threatened whilst reporting on a protest against forced land acquisition in Vattuvakkal and was summoned twice by police. CTID officers also visited his home in 2024 to record a statement regarding his professional activities.
The FMETU said: “This summoning is not only an obstruction of Kumanan's reporting but also a serious threat to the freedom of the press and freedom of expression. Kumanan has been subjected to threats for several years, and his reporting has been obstructed. This trend of intimidation, questioning, and surveillance is not limited to Kumanan but is also being faced by many other journalists and activists who report on the issues of the people in the North and East.”
The SLWJA said: “The harassment of Kumanan is yet another example of these repressive measures being used to stifle media freedom. We urge the relevant authorities to respect journalists' rights and uphold democratic values, including freedom of expression and the press.”
The IFJ said: “The use of counter-terrorism apparatus to target journalists for their reporting is highly concerning and an effort to silence independent and critical media in Sri Lanka. This summons is part of a draconian pattern of surveillance and intimidation against Tamil and minority media that remains in force, despite assurances of increased media protection from the new government.”
For further information contact IFJ Asia - Pacific on [email protected]
The IFJ represents more than 600,000 journalists in 140 countries
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