Some 300 people including Christian clergy, a coalition of media and civil organizations demonstrated yesterday to urge the government to find a journalist who disappeared 500 days ago.

Prageeth Eknaligoda, a political columnist and cartoonist with Lanka-e-news website and a freelance journalist who was known for his anti-government news and cartoons went missing on January 24, 2010, just days before the presidential election.

He was believed to be a supporter of the common opposition presidential candidate.

“Ekneligoda was a journalist who stood for building justice and democracy in the country,” said Anglican Father Marimuthupillai Sathivel, standing among the demonstrators.

In Sri Lanka, 14 journalists including Christians have been murdered within the past two decades, 12 of them in the past five years. Some journalists have left the country.

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