Sandya Ekneligoda

Cases
Location of case in SG report
2019-097-001
Relevant SG report
Year of the report
2019
Country Geolocation

Latitude: 7.87305399999999

Longitude: 80.7717969999999

Country Geolocation (linked Cases)
Sri Lanka
From Region
UN body that raised the case prior to the SG report
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
Dates of prior UN action
2 August 2018
Type of record
Named individual
Gender
Female
Was the victim a foreign national?
No
Was the victim a minor?
No
Individual's/organization's activity

her efforts to seek the truth about the fate and whereabouts of her husband

Type of rights defended
  • Civil/political rights
Was the victim a civil servant or member of the security forces or of the judiciary?
No
Reported trigger of reprisal

her efforts to seek the truth about the fate and whereabouts of her husband, disappeared journalist Mr. Prageeth Ekneligoda, whose case was registered by the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on 3 February 2010

Engagement with UN body
  • UN Special Procedures: thematic
Dates of engagement
before 3 February 2010
Type of attempted engagement
  • Submission of information to UN
Dates of mentioned reprisals
Unclear
Reprisal information

allegations of harassment, including online attacks; Ms. Ekneligoda has been the target of threats, intimidation and online attacks by supporters of the Buddhist monk leader of the group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), Mr. Galagodaatte Gnanasara Thera. He reportedly stormed the court room during a hearing on Mr. Ekneligoda’s disappearance and threatened and intimidated Ms. Eklenigoda. He was convicted for contempt of court in 2018 and granted Presidential pardon on 23 May 2019.

Types of reprisals suffered
  • Online harassment
  • Threats/Intimidations (incl. "fear of reprisal")
Alleged/likely perpetrators
Non-state actor(s)
Was the reprisal based on new legislation?
No
Does the report make general comment about country’s environment for engagement with UN?
No
Is the country cited for a "pattern of reprisal" in the context of this case?
No
Is a pattern of reprisals mentioned otherwise in the context of this case?
No
Does the report cite "self-censorship" as an issue in the context of this case?
No
How many times has the case been followed up in subsequent SG reports?
1
In which SG report was this case followed up on? 0
2022
Follow up information provided in SG report 0
  1. The case of Ms. Sandya Ekneligoda was included in the 2019 report of the Secretary- General183 on allegations of harassment, including online attacks, in reprisal for her efforts to seek the truth about the fate and whereabouts of her husband, disappeared journalist Mr. Prageeth Ekneligoda, including her engagement with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID) that registered the case of her husband in 2010 (LKA 2/2018).184
  2. On 17 November 2021, special procedures mandate holders addressed allegations of intimidation for cooperation with the United Nations against Ms. Ekneligoda following a letter she received dated 4 August 2021 from the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) asking her to disclose her private correspondence with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the WGEID (SLK 5/2021). Mandate holders enquired why Ms. Ekneligoda had been requested by the OMP to disclose her private correspondence with the WGEID and how this request was compatible with her rights to privacy and safety as well as unhindered access to and communication with the United Nations. They expressed concern that such a request could discourage other victims and relatives from engaging with the United Nations and lead to self-censorship. The case of Mr. Ekneligoda with the WGEID remains pending (SLK 5/2021).
  3. On 25 January 2022, the Government replied185 to mandate holders providing information about the court case of the disappearance of Ms. Ekneligoda’s husband. It informed that in December 2019 Ms. Ekneligoda had lodged a complaint with the OMP on the disappearance of her husband and the verification that followed deemed that there was not enough information to draw a conclusion. According to the Government, the OMP letter to Ms. Ekneligoda only invited her to share voluntarily any documents she may have shared with other bodies, such as the WGEID, and at no point she was intimidated or coerced into sharing information. The Government further held that the objective of the request was to obtain more information with a view to investigate the complaint.
Followup Trends 0
Deterioration/further reprisals
Date of follow up 0
17 November 2021
Did the government respond? 0
Yes
Was this case followed up by a UN body? 0
  • UN Special Procedures: Thematic
  • UN Special Procedures: UN Special Procedures - General