"Brutal and Despicable" says Sri Lanka's rights body on action against Galle Face protestors

Colombo: Terming the actions of Sri Lankan authorities on the peaceful protesters at Galle Face "brutal and despicable", the country's Human Rights Commission condemned the act and urged the state to conduct its own investigation to ensure that rule of law is maintained. 

In a press note, Justice Rohini Marasinghe, Chairperson Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, said, "The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) condemns the brutal and despicable attack on the peaceful protesters at Gallface vicinity by the Military in the early morning hours today." 

Also a former judge of the Supreme Court, Marasinghe added, "A total violation of the fundamental rights of the people by the actions of the Executive. The HRCSL advises the State to identify the perpetrators and take appropriate action and ensure such actions by the Military or any action within the control of the State to violate the fundamental rights of the people will never occur in the future."

In the meantime the HRCSL will conduct its own investigation to ensure that rule of law is maintained, the release added. 

A large number of protestors confronted armed security personnel as the latter setup barricades outside the premises of the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat in Colombo on early Friday. 

The armed soldiers were deployed in a bid to control the protestors who have been protesting against the new Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe outside the premises of the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat.

Protesters are alleging that security personnel raided the anti-government protest camp in the capital.

Tents of protestors are being dismantled by the armed security personnel outside the premises of the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat.

"Ranil Wickremesinghe wants to destroy us, they are again doing this, but we will never give up. We want to make our country free of such nasty politics," said a protestor amid an armed forces crackdown. 

Wickremesinghe was sworn in as President of Sri Lanka on Thursday in Parliament before Chief Justice Jayantha Jayasuriya. He was elected as president in an election held in Parliament on Wednesday.

During Wednesday's vote, Wickremesinghe received 134 votes following the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa from the presidency last week amid severe economic turmoil in the country.

After his official residence in Colombo was stormed by tens of thousands of angry protesters last week, Sri Lanka's ex-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country to the Maldives before flying out to Singapore. Rajapaksa had offered his resignation after fleeing the country.

Sri Lanka's economy is bracing for a sharp contraction due to the unavailability of basic inputs for production, an 80 per cent depreciation of the currency since March 2022, coupled with a lack of foreign reserves and the country's failure to meet its international debt obligations.

As Sri Lanka scrambles to get back on track after the election of a new President, the people in the country -- who are facing severe economic hardship -- are still uncertain about the future. (ANI)