Speaking in parliament, the Sri Lankan government’s chief whip and public security minister, Tiran Alles, encouraged the police to engage in extrajudicial killings claiming “eliminating criminals from the country is not a sin”.
“Don’t be afraid to use the weapon in your hand for the right thing, and we stand by you” he added.
This is not the first time Alles has made such claims and he faces calls to resign from Sri Lanka’s Bar Association for these statements. However, Sri Lanka’s President Wickremesinghe has seemingly endorsed such a position slamming human right lawyers for their advocacy which he implied was undermining law and order. During his speech, Wickremesinghe also lashed out at the former British prime minister alleging that a failure to uphold law and order led to the collapse of his government.
These remarks come as tens of thousands have been arrested across Sri Lanka as part of a Sri Lankan police and military operation, purportedly aimed at stemming drug trafficking. ‘Operation Yukthiya’ has come under criticism from human rights organisations and United Nations experts for its widespread violation of human rights.
The Sri Lankan president maintained the need for even stricter laws to deal with drug traffickers.
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