Missing Cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda A Focus Of Sri Lankan Protests

Peaceful protests in Colombo yesterday by a journalists' association members and opposition political party members threw the spotlight on Sri Lanka's dubious reputation as a place where journalists are at risk. The events upon which the protests focused included a 2009 assault on a television station, the murder of a prominent newspaper editor, also in 2009, and the disappearance of columnist and cartoonist Prageeth Ekneligoda two days before an important election following a campaign in which he had been a vocal critic of the eventual winners.

The one-year anniversary of Ekneligoda's assumed capture will take place in the next few days. The Ekneligoda case has led to charges that the police department in charge was not putting as much energy into finding the cartoonist as loved ones and concerned citizenry might hope, and an increasing sense of dread as to his final fate, including a comparison of this long-term disappearance to an earlier, more abruptly-concluded seizure and release. The charges against local police have gained some national momentum and attention when federal officials including President Mahinda Rajapaksa have vowed to see justice done in such cases.
 
posted 8:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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