STATEMENT    

Headline :    Victor Ivan an icon of socially committed journalism

                                                          – SAFMA Sri Lanka

Victor Ivan is a Sri Lankan icon of social activism and journalism. The Sri Lanka Chapter of the South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA-SL) expresses its deep sadness at his passing. Mr. Ivan traversed a civic, professional and intellectual personal life journey taken by many world intellectuals, prominent or less known throughout the history of civilization.  

His youthful life in courageous militant activism in the rural social rebellion of 1971, was notable for the political leadership he gave to that rebellion. He physically suffered in the 1971 struggle and also in the consequent legal punishments.

Mr. Ivan was then inspired to move quickly into the realm of civic activism along the same track of championing social justice, and then took up professional journalism of the highest calibre in the tradition of other socially-committed journalists in many societies going through social crises. His contributions as a public intellectual has been second to none and parallels his accomplishments in the Sinhala professional journalistic and literary fields. A distinguished aesthete, he has contributed much to setting standards in modern Sinhala journalism.

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