Sri Lanka urged by rights groups to stop use of force after armed troops attack protesters
- International human rights groups on Saturday urged new president to act lawfully after armed troops attacked demonstrators with batons on Friday
- The force came when soldiers raided protest camp in early hours, arrested 11; rights experts said ‘protesters have a right to demonstrate peacefully’
International human rights groups on Saturday urged Sri Lanka’s new president to immediately order security forces to cease use of force against protesters after troops and police cleared their main camp following months of demonstrations over the country’s economic meltdown.
A day after President Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in, hundreds of armed troops raided a protest camp outside the president’s office in the early hours of Friday, attacking demonstrators with batons.
Human Rights Watch said the action “sends a dangerous message to the Sri Lankan people that the new government intends to act through brute force rather than the rule of law”.
Two journalists and two lawyers were also attacked by soldiers in the crackdown. Security forces arrested 11 people, including protesters and lawyers.
“Urgently needed measures to address the economic needs of Sri Lankans demand a government that respects fundamental rights,” Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asia director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement.
“Sri Lanka’s international partners should send the message loud and clear that they can’t support an administration that tramples on the rights of its people.”