The United Nations and several prominent international human rights organisations have condemned the repeated use of emergency regulations against peaceful protesters by the Sri Lanka government.
They have urged the newly appointed Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe to end the crackdown against the months-long protests over the island nation’s worst economic crisis in decades.
On July 18, Wickremesinghe declared a state of emergency, granting sweeping powers to the military and promising to take a tough line against the “trouble makers”. The parliament ratified the emergency on July 27.
Several protest leaders have been arrested since as police continue to chase and intimidate others. Some protest leaders are hiding to avoid “the witchhunt”.
In a statement on Monday, United Nations human rights experts condemned the crackdown, calling it a “misuse of emergency measures”.
“We condemn the recent and continued abuse of such measures to infringe on the legitimate exercise of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and expression,” they said.
Protesters say Wickremesinghe is on a mission to intimidate them to prevent further protests against his government.
Last week, Joseph Stalin, a prominent trade union leader whom the UN recognises as a human rights defender, was arrested. As an international outcry and a legal battle followed, he was released on bail on Monday.
“Governments use rules, procedures, court orders and other tactics and methods to prevent peaceful protests and to prevent criticism when they are in a hotspot,” Mary Lawlor, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights defenders, told Al Jazeera.
“I know Joseph Stalin’s work as a human rights defender. So for me, he should not have been arrested.”
courtesy www.aljazeera.com
