Sandya Eknelygoda

Sandya Eknalygoda
சந்தியா எக்னெலிகொட
Sandya Eknelygoda with Melania Trump at the International Women of Courage Award 2017
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Known for	Human rights activist
Spouse	Prageeth Eknaligoda
Children	two

Sandya Eknalygoda (Tamil: சந்தியா எக்னெலிகொட) is a Sri Lankan human rights activist. She became an International Women of Courage Award recipient in 2017. She has been campaigning for thousands of missing persons in Sri Lanka.[1] She is married to missing journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda.

Her husband had told her that he was on a hit list and that he was receiving threats that warned him to stop writing. He was investigating corruption when he was kidnapped and returned in 2009.[2] She became actively involved after her husband and prominent journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda disappeared in 2010 when he was investigating the alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians by the Sri Lankan army in the fight against the Tamil rebels.[3][4][5][6][7]

Award

In 2017 Eknaligoda was awarded with the International Women of Courage Award for her campaigns.[8][9] She was recognized as one of the BBC 100 Women in December 2022.[10]

References

1. "Sandya Eknaligoda speaks for Sri Lanka's disappeared". Bob Dietz. Committee to Protect Journalists. 4 September 2012. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
2. Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) (4 February 2013). Attacks on the Press: Journalism on the World's Front Lines. John Wiley & Sons. pp. 31–. ISBN 978-1-118-61129-6.
3. "Biographies of the Finalists for the 2017 International Women of Courage Awards". US Department of State. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
4. "Sandya Eknelygoda: 'International Woman of Courage'". Daily Mirror. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
5. "Voices in Danger: 'Prageeth is my courage. He always worked for peace and unity'". Evgeny Lebedev. The Independent. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
6. "Prageeth missing due to 'chemical weapon probe'". BBC Sinhala. 28 January 2011. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
7. "Sri Lanka's missing thousands: one woman's six-year fight to find her husband". Amantha Perera. The Guardian. 29 January 2016. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
8. "Sandya Eknelygoda: 'International Woman of Courage'". Daily Mirror. 30 March 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
9. "Voices in Danger: 'Prageeth is my courage. He always worked for peace and unity'". Evgeny Lebedev. The Independent. 28 April 2013. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
10. "BBC 100 Women 2022: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. Retrieved 2022-12-10.