After eight years, the investigation into the murder of Lasantha
Wickremetunge has gone nowhere and his family is still waiting for
justice.
Killed in broad daylight on his way to work, the high-profile Christian journalist was the editor of the newspaper Sunday Leader.
From its pages, he harshly criticised former President Mahinda
Rajapaksa, who has always denied any involvement in the assassination.
Upon taking office, President Maithripala Sirisena reopened the case.
However, the journalist's family has lamented the absence of any
tangible results.
Its attorney, Athula S Ranagala, said that the
investigation has stalled.
On Sunday, family, friends, and some politicians met to commemorate
his death, which has not yet been vindicated.
For Prof Sarath
Wijesooriya, the government’s quest for justice has not gone very far.
“There is an invisible power, blocking its rightful end,” he noted.
For the occasion, the dead journalist’s brother Lal Wickremetunge
wrote a letter. Since he is overseas, it was read by his daughter Raisa.
In it, he notes that today Sri Lanka is a better place to practice
journalism, but the past should not be forgotten or revisited.
Recently, he noted, the media were informed of the existence of phone
conversations between Lal Lasantha and former President Mahinda
Rajapaksa. But their content has not been released.
Sandhaya Eknaligoda was present at the memorial service. She is the
wife of Prageeth Eknaligoda, a reporter and cartoonist who has been
missing since January 2010.
She does not know about his fate, and so believes that she does not
have the right to commemorate him. For her, "To commemorate Lasantha,
one can light a candle or bring a flower. But I do not know where to
bring a flower or light a candle as I do not know what happened to
Prageeth”.