A journalist was beaten up and an editor assaulted and robbed of his valuables in the eastern Sri Lankan town of Kathankudi, in seemingly election-related incidents, according to the Free Media Movement (FMM). Kathankidi has been a scene of election-related violence as well as widespread electoral malpractice in the recently-held eastern provincial council election.
Freelance journalist JL Jawfarkhan was beaten by party supporters on the afternoon of May 19. He had been asked to secure an interview with provincial councilor M Hisbullah by a Colombo television station. When he went to see the councilor, the councilor's supporters— shouting that Jawfarkhan had not supported them in the election—began to beat him, even though Hisbullah called for them to stop and pointed out that he was a journalist.
Jawfarkhan has filed a complaint to the Kathankudi police, identifying the persons who beat him.
On May 9, one day before the election, MI Rahmahetulla (alias Poovi), the editor of the weekend newspaper Vaara Ureikal, was assaulted by a gang of three and robbed of his digital camera and of the cash he was carrying. The incident occurred as Rahmahetulla was on his way home following a day's work at his newspaper office. According to FMM sources, this assault was also election-related, as Rahmahetulla has been blamed for not supporting a powerful politician in the area. Although Rahmahetulla filed a complaint at the Kathankudi police station on the day of the assault, no action has been taken by the police.
Kathankudi police have been criticised by independent election observers for being partial and not taking meaningful steps to stop large-scale electoral malpractices that took place in the area. FMM is afraid that, with regard to the above-mentioned political motivated assaults, Kathankudi police may not be impartial in carrying out investigations.
