Journalists Killed in 2009 - Motive Confirmed: Shoba
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | January 2010 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Journalists Killed in 2009 - Motive Confirmed: Shoba, January 2010, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4e64968ac.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
O'liveechchu
May 18 or 19, in Mullivaikkal, Sri Lanka
Tamil news presenter Shoba was shown shot and killed in amateur video filmed by Sri Lankan soldiers and obtained by the U.K.'s Channel 4. Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka said Shoba died in the town of Mullivaikkal in the northeastern "no fire zone."
Shoba, who went by one name, also reported under the name Isaipriya or Isaippiriya for the media division of the secessionist Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), including the videomagazine O'liveechchu, according to Channel 4 and the pro-LTTE TamilNet news website. The manner of Shoba's death is not known, although several point-blank executions of bound prisoners were filmed in the same location. Channel 4 reporter Jon Snow said in the documentary film, "Sri Lanka's Killing Fields," that Shoba's body was found among some that "appear to have been raped or sexually assaulted, and then murdered."
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Defense described Shoba as Lt. Col. Issei Piriya, a Tamil Tigers communications leader killed during battle by its 53 Division troops on May 18, one day before the government announced victory. Although Channel 4 said the footage had been authenticated by the U.N., the Sri Lankan government denounced the videos as fake.
Both TamilNet and Channel 4 described Shoba, 27, as a working journalist.
| Medium: | Television, Internet |
| Job: | Broadcast Reporter |
| Beats Covered: | War |
| Gender: | Male |
| Local or Foreign: | Local |
| Freelance: | No |
| Type of Death: | Crossfire/Combat-Related |
| Suspected Source of Fire: | Military Officials |
