A Sri Lankan investigation accused former navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda, amongst others, of abducting teenage youngsters of rich households and killing them after extorting cash
By:
Chandrashekar Bhat
The US stated Wednesday (26) it might refuse visas on human rights grounds to a Sri Lankan provincial governor who had been charged with killings in the course of the island’s lengthy civil struggle.
A Sri Lankan investigation accused former navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda, amongst others, of abducting teenage youngsters of rich households and killing them after extorting cash.
Authorities in 2021 dropped expenses, prompting an outcry from human rights teams, and he was quickly named governor of North Western Province by then president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who served as defence chief when Sri Lanka defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.
A UN panel has stated 40,000 civilians could have been killed within the final phases of the 37-year battle. Authorities officers deny abuses.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated allegations in opposition to Karannagoda remained “severe and credible” and that neither the governor nor his spouse could be allowed to go to the US.
“The US reaffirms its dedication to upholding human rights, ending impunity for human rights violators, acknowledging the struggling of victims and survivors and selling accountability for perpetrators in Sri Lanka,” Blinken stated in an announcement.
The motion on human rights comes as each the US and India voice alarm over inroads in Sri Lanka by China, the island’s greatest creditor.
Sri Lanka final 12 months defaulted on its exterior debt and noticed offended protests that toppled Rajapaksa over financial mismanagement that introduced acute meals, gas and medication shortages.
(AFP)
