Prageeth Eknaligoda is a cartoonist, political analyst and journalist. He was reported missing on January 24, 2010 - two days before the presidential polls in Sri Lanka when the island was under the Presidency of Mahinda Rajapakse. He actively participated in the presidential campaign of common opposition candidate Sarath Fonseka while working as a freelance journalist for a pro-opposition website Lankaenews.com. Members of his family believe he has been abducted by pro-government supporters because he was investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons, charges that was denied by the government of Sri Lanka. In 2009 Amnesty International released information regarding circumstances of his disappearance. Reporters without borders has issued a statement concerning him. The investigation is being led by the Colombo Crimes Division. His wife was given an International Women of Courage Award in 2017 for her campaigns.
Disappearance
Eknaligoda had been investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians by Sri Lankan army in the fight against the Tamil Terrorists. He left his office on 24 January 2010 evening saying that he has to meet an old friend. He has not been seen since that.
On June 5, 2013 a government Member of the parliament claimed that Eknaligoda was living in France. But several Sri Lankan journalists in exile in France, including Manjula Wediwardana, whom that Member of parliament alleged to have taken him to meet Prageeth, vehemently denied the claims that Prageeth is living in hiding in France. French embassy in Colombo too denied any claims that Prageeth is living in France. Free Media Movement Convener Sunil Jayasekara in a statement on the MPs allegations told
“We think the MP is using Parliamentary privileges and trying to mislead the people. He is claiming that a journalist had introduced Mr. Ekneligoda to him when he visited France in January this year. However the journalist Manjula Wediwardana has sent an e-mail to us saying he never met the MP in France or introduced any Mr. Ekneligoda to him,”.
2015 probe
In March 2015 the government launched a probe of the disappearance of Eknaligoda, but his wife expressed dissatisfaction over the government's actions. In January 2016 Bodu Bala Sena leader was arrested after he disrupted court proceedings on Eknaligoda disappearance Major Prabath Bulathwatte who is alleged to be the leader of the alleged death squad that assassinated Ekneligoda was investigating Jihadists networks in Sri Lanka at the time of his arrest and his removal from the post is believed to have allowed the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Bombings to happen. Thus he was reinstated to his former position in May 2019 and given control of a special team directly under the Army Commander Mahesh Senanayake.
