Ganeshanathan Jeganathan

The job of a political writer in the midst of the Sri Lankan civil war is the decision between truth and justice, or safety and suppression. That was the same decision that laid upon Ganeshanathan Jeganathan’s shoulders. Knowing his duty as a writer was to the people, he put his life on the line in order to document the events that took place during the early years and stages of the civil war.

It was this decision that led to his ultimate demise, the same demise that thousands of other political writers faced when choosing justice over protection; to be jailed and sentenced to death by the Sri Lankan government.

While waiting in his cell at Welikada prison for his eventual execution, Jeganathan began hearing rumors throughout the prison about anti-Tamil riots starting up around the country, and by the time those rumors began, the riots had already begun at Welikada.

Ganeshanathan Jeganathan was one among dozens of Tamils and prisoners killed during the Welikada prison massacres and riots. A beacon of truth and justice, Jeganathan died alongside two of the founders and leaders of the Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO) in Nadarajah Thangadurai and Selvarajah Yogachandran. Dying a hero, Jeganathan passed on the legacy of a political writer onto thousands of future journalists who strived to bring attention to the events of the Sri Lankan Civil War, in hopes of liberating the lives of millions of Tamils worldwide.