Cartoonists Rights Network, International protests the disappearance of cartoonist/journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda who went missing in Colombo, Sri Lanka last night.

Reporters sans Frontieres reports today that Prageeth has stated that he thought he was being followed over the last few nights. In August, he was abducted, held and then released after a few hours.

Last week Prageeth wrote a comparison of the current President and his main opponent in the up coming elections for the Lankaenews website. The piece was sympathetic to the opposition candidate. UK based Sri Lankan journalist Uvindu Kurukulasuriya quoted Eknaligoda's wife as saying that last week Eknaligoda had been trying to find a venue for a cartoon exhibit but no venue would accept it under his name. They were afraid of repercussions if the cartoons offended the ruling party.

Under the Rajapaksa regime 19 journalists and media workers have been murdered.

CRNI calls on the government of Sri Lanka to assure the safely of journalist Prageeth Eknaligoda who must be returned to his family.

The continued abduction and harassment of journalists in Sri Lanka calls to mind failed regimes and tyrannical rulers who mistake their own fate as the same as that of the state. President Mahinda Rajapaksa must rein-in those over zealous elements in his own party using terrorism to assure continued political leadership.

For more information, contact:

Robert Russell
Executive Director
Cartoonists Rights Network, International
Tel: + 1 703 543 8727
Box 7272
Fairfax Station, VA 22039 USA
www.cartoonistrights.com