Amnesty International have urged the Sri Lankan president to halt plans to execute at least 13 people for drug-related crimes.
In an open letter published on Friday, Amnesty’s Secretary General Kumi Naidoo warned President Maithripala Sirisena against pursuing a path similar to that in the Philippines stating that there has been “a horrific wave of extrajudicial executions of suspected drug offenders over the past three years [in the Philippines]”.
“Far from ridding the streets of crime, this murderous campaign has claimed the lives of more than 4,000 people - including dozens of children - in what may amount to crimes against humanity,” he added.
As well as drawing objections from human rights groups, Sri Lanka’s decision to restart executions for drug-offences has been opposed by the United Kingdom and the European Union.
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