Sri Lankan Authorities Must End Harassment of Tamil Photojournalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan

Strategic Insights -

Sri Lankan authorities have issued a summons to Tamil photojournalist Kanapathipillai Kumanan, allegedly in connection with his social media posts, citing a need for an inquiry. Kumanan, a human rights defender and president of the Mullaitivu Press Club, has been documenting human rights violations against Tamil civilians in the northern and eastern regions of the country. The move is seen as a reprisal for Kumanan's reporting on sensitive issues, including the mass grave excavations in Chemmani, Northern Province.

Key Takeaways:

  • Kanapathipillai Kumanan, a Tamil photojournalist and human rights defender, has been served a summons by the Sri Lankan authorities to appear for an inquiry on August 17, 2025.
  • The police notice does not specify the reason for the inquiry, but it is believed to be related to Kumanan's social media posts.
  • Kumanan has been documenting human rights violations against Tamil civilians in the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka for over a decade.
  • He has been threatened with reprisals, including threats against his family, for exposing human rights abuses and war crimes in Sri Lanka.
  • The summons is part of a broader pattern of intimidation against Kumanan, his family, and other journalists and human rights defenders in Sri Lanka.
  • Kumanan has reported on over 140 skeletal remains being exhumed or unearthed during the 41-day excavation process in Chemmani, Northern Province.
  • His photographs have been widely shared and published by advocacy and news outlets.
  • The Sri Lankan authorities have a history of abusing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and counter-terror police to punish journalists and human rights defenders who document and report on rights violations.
  • Energy and International Community:

* We call on the Sri Lankan government to ensure that all journalists and human rights defenders can work in a safe and enabling environment, free from intimidation and retaliation.

* The UN Human Rights Council must renew the OHCHR's monitoring and reporting mandate on Sri Lanka and the OHCHR's Sri Lanka Accountability Project.

Statistics:

  • 140: The number of skeletal remains allegedly unearthed or exhumed during the 41-day excavation process in Chemmani, Northern Province.
  • 41: The number of days over which the excavation process took place.
  • Over a decade: The duration for which Kumanan has been documenting human rights violations against Tamil civilians in the northern and eastern regions of Sri Lanka.

Sources:

  • International Freedom of Expression Exchange
  • Sri Lankan authorities
  • United Nations human rights mechanisms and member states
  • OHCHR's monitoring and reporting mandate on Sri Lanka
  • OHCHR's Sri Lanka Accountability Project