Press Freedom and disappeared Sri Lankan journalists – Southasia Weekly #116

This Sunday marks World Press Freedom Day, which celebrates press freedom and pays tribute to the journalists who have lost their lives in pursuit of their work. This week, Dileesha Abeysundara writes about the case of Prageeth Ekneligoda, a Sri Lankan cartoonist and columnist who was abducted in 2010. His case is widely known in Sri Lanka as a symbol of the dangerous environment journalists once operated in. For me, it is also personal. 

I first met Prageeth’s wife, Sandya in 2015, and was moved to hear about her untiring struggle for answers in her husband’s case. She did not hesitate to highlight the stories of Tamil journalists that did not receive the same attention. I was inspired by her advocacy, especially as someone who has also lost a family member and member of the press to violence. I realised that we had a role to play in bringing the stories of Tamil journalists to a wider audience. At Himal, I’ve been working with media watchdog Free Media Movement to translate some of these stories from Sinhala and Tamil, in the hope to bring them to a wider audience, and also to place them alongside each other to tell the story of impunity around journalist killings in Sri Lanka. As a publication that has stood firm despite overt censorship, we see the value in these stories. We hope you do too, and sign up to our Patrons programme to support our work.

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This week in Himal

Dileesha Abeysundara writes about impunity and the ongoing fight for justice for the 2010 abduction of Prageeth Ekneligoda, a cartoonist and journalist, with a military intelligence officer implicated in the abduction promoted this January. This story is part of a series in collaboration with the Sri Lankan media watchdog Free Media Movement highlighting attacks on Sri Lankan journalists that languish unresolved. 

Shakeel Anwar writes about the shifting power dynamic between India and Bangladesh, with Bangladesh looking for a recalibration after the fall of Sheikh Hasina regime, while India sees the past 18 months of strained ties as merely a temporary disruption. 

Tune in to watch ‘Verses on Wheels’ and ‘Tyres’ –  this month’s feature for Screen Southasia, our monthly documentary screening. Sign up here.