Prez has a challenge to setup credible mechanism to probe enforced disappearances: Sandya Eknaligoda

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has a challenge to introduce a credible and internationally trusted mechanism to probe the enforced disappearances and mete out justice to those who affected, missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda’s wife Sandya Eknaligoda said today.

Human rights activist Sandya Eknaligoda, addressing a press briefing held today to mark the International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances (30) said the United Nations and the international human rights organisations are losing faith in the Sri Lankan mechanism to probe the missing persons.

“There are hundreds and thousands of humans killed or disappeared around the world in armed struggles or political conflicts that had been buried without even performing last rites. Likewise, hundreds of persons went missing in the Sri Lankan civil war,” she said addressing the event organised by Journalists for Rights.

Although, an Office on Missing Persons (OMP) was established during the previous Yahapalana Government, its credibility was lost when President Gotabaya Rajapaksa came into power as he appointed people close to him to the OMP. And the international community lost its faith in this office.

“Therefore, I request President Wickremesinghe to take this challenge and establish a credible mechanism to probe and carry out justice to the affected families of enforced disappearances, especially those who are in the North and East. Women can’t carry a photograph of their missing husband or son forever seeking justice,” Eknaligoda said.

President of Journalists for Rights K. Sanjeewa said over 20 journalists either killed or went missing during the last stages of the civil war and none of them had received justice to date.

“Journalists Lasantha Wickramatunga, Keith Noyahr, Prageeth Eknaligoda, Poddala Jayantha, Lal Hemantha Mawalage, Upali Tennekoon, T M G Chandrasekara, Dharmalingam Sivarama and Sampath Lakmal de Silva were a few who had been either killed, abducted or assaulted that justice has not being served yet,” he said.

“Ranil Wickremesinghe was known to be a democratic leader and this is the opportunity he could prove by opening a fresh probe on his friend Lasantha Wickramatunga’s assassination,” Sanjeewa said. (Kurulu Koojana Kariyakarawana)

Pix by Nisal Baduge