Sri Lanka must ‘reverse the drift towards militarisation’: UN

Sri Lanka must immediately reverse its “drift towards militarisation”, the United Nations has said in a human rights report, calling on the new government to engage in dialogue “to advance human rights and reconciliation”.

The South Asian island nation has suffered acute food and fuel shortages, lengthy blackouts, and spiraling inflation this year after running out of foreign currency to import essentials amid its worst economic crisis to date.

The crisis sparked months of protests against the government over economic mismanagement, culminating in a huge crowd storming the residence of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who then fled for the Maldives, Singapore, and Thailand before returning to Sri Lanka last weekend.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has been criticized for launching a crackdown on peaceful protesters since he succeeded Rajapaksa in July.

“The new government should immediately reverse the drift towards militarisation, end the reliance on draconian security laws and crackdowns on peaceful protest,” the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) said in its latest report on Tuesday, referring to the new government which took over after Gotabaya Rajapaksa was forced to step down as president in July in the wake of mass protests.

“Fundamental changes will be required to address the current challenges and to avoid repetition of the human rights violations of the past,” said the OHCHR report.

Agencies