Sandya Ekneligoda among 25 women activists named to prestigious ‘BBC 100 Women 2022’

Colombo (News 1st) - Sri Lanka’s human rights campaigner Sandya Ekneligoda is among just 25 women activists worldwide who have been named to the prestigious ‘BBC 100 Women 2022’.

Mrs. Ekneligoda has relentlessly campaigned for human rights in Sri Lanka since her husband, journalist Pradeep Ekneligoda who was himself an activist, disappeared in 2010. It is believed that he was murdered by a government death squad during the regime of President Mahinda Rajapaksa. His body was never found.

Mrs. Ekneligoda is often called upon to address international human rights forums and has faced severe persecution by pro-government forces attempting to stifle her activism on behalf of thousands of victims of enforced disappearances across Sri Lanka.

Of the 100 people on the list, 25 have been placed in each of four categories, namely ‘Politics & Education’, ‘Culture & Sport’, ‘Activism & Advocacy’ and ‘Health & Science.

This year’s list includes no less than five human rights activists from Iran, and others from China, Palestine, Ukraine, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, the United States, Indonesia, UK, Mexico, Ecuador, Egypt, Niger, Brazil, Bosnia and Israel.

Previous winners from Sri Lanka have included the first Sri Lankan to summit Mt. Everest Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala in 2017 and marine biologist Dr. Asha de Voss in 2018.