Media freedom has remained limited since the violent end of Sri Lanka’s 26-year-long civil war five years ago, which resulted in allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by both sides. Today, perpetrators of wartime abuses have yet to be held accountable through trials or truth commissions, and human rights violations persist. Moreover, CPJ research has shown that President Mahinda Rajapaksa has made no attempt to address the murders of journaliststhat took place under his political leadership. Consequently, the country has remained “postwar,” which indicates the absence of actual warfare, without transitioning to “post-conflict," which indicates the absence of the causes of the war such as the lack of political power-sharing and political spaces.

The lack of media freedom not only has negative consequences for reporting on current events but also for opening political spaces; debating the past; and acknowledging, explaining, and understanding previous acts of violence. These aspects, alongside prosecuting abusers or exposing the truth, constitute transitional justice processes. In the absence of traditional transitional justice mechanisms such as trials and truth commissions, the media can potentially address human rights violations.

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