Several high ranking Sri Lankan military and government officials have been accused of egregious rights abuses, particularly during the Mullivaikkal genocide in which tens of thousands of Tamils were massacred. The final months of the armed conflict in 2009 saw repeated bombings of civilians, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances, arbitrary detention, torture, and sexual violence. Successive Sri Lankan governments have consistently denied any wrongdoing, instead protecting those implicated in atrocities.
With Colombo failing to deliver accountability for these crimes, the United States and Canada, have taken steps to impose targeted sanctions on high-ranking Sri Lankan officials accused of gross human rights abuses, and more recently, of corruption.
Sanctions Imposed by the United States
The United States has sanctioned several Sri Lankan officials since 2020, targeting individuals for their roles in corruption and human rights abuses, including crimes committed during the Tamil Genocide. Below is a chronological overview of these actions:
February 2020: Shavendra Silva
• Sanctioned for: Gross violations of human rights, name extrajudicial killings
• Context: Silva, as the commander of the 58th Division, oversaw repeated bombing of hospitals, widespread sexual violence, torture, and the execution of surrendering Tamils during the final stages of the armed conflict.
• Action: Silva and his immediate family members are banned from entering the United States.
December 2021: Sunil Ratnayake and Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi
Sunil Ratnayake
• Sanctioned for: Gross violations of human rights, name extrajudicial killings
• Context: Convicted of murdering eight Tamil civilians, including children, in Mirusuvil in 2000. Released via a presidential pardon in 2020.
• Action: Ratnayake and his immediate family members are banned from entering the United States.
Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi
• Sanctioned for: Gross violations of human rights, namely, abducting and forcibly disappearing at least eight “Trincomalee 11” victims, from 2008 to 2009. The victims were held for ransom. They have still not been located.
• Context: The victims were held for ransom. They have still not been located and stjill disappeared.
• Action: Hettiarachchi and his immediate family members are banned from entering the United States.
December 2022: Prabath Bulathwatte
• Sanctioned for: Gross violations of human rights, namely torture and inhuman treatment of journalist Keith Noyahr in 2008.
• Context: Former head of the Tripoli Platoon, a shadowy Sri Lankan military intelligence unit.
• Action: Bulathwatte and his immediate family members are banned from entering the United States.
April 2023: Wasantha Karannagoda
• Sanctioned for: Gross violations of human rights during his tenure as Sri Lankan naval commander.
• Context: Karannagoda served as Sri Lanka's Navy Commander from 2005 to 2009, during the armed conflict which saw the massacre of tens of thousands of Tamils. In 2019, he was named as the 14th suspect in the case of the abduction and forced disappearance of 11 people, who were predominantly Tamil.
• Action: Karannagoda and his immediate family members are banned from entering the United States.
December 2024: Udayanga Weeratunga and Kapila Chandrasena
Udayanga Weeratunga
• Sanctioned for: involvement in significant corruption
• Context: Alleged to have embezzled US$14 million in a 2006 military deal involving four Ukraine-built MIG-27 aircraft. These planes were used to bomb Tamil civilians.
• Action: Weeratunga and his immediate family members are banned from entering the United States.
Kapila Chandrasena
• Sanctioned for: involvement in significant corruption
• Context: Former CEO of SriLankan Airlines, implicated in a corruption scandal involving Airbus, where millions in bribes were allegedly accepted.
• Action: Chandrasena and his immediate family members are banned from entering the United States.
Sanctions Imposed by Canada
Canada imposed targeted sanctions on individuals directly responsible for atrocities committed during the armed conflict, stating they had “committed gross and systematic violations of human rights”.
January 2023: Sanctions on Four Officials
Canada sanctioned:
Mahinda Rajapaksa: Sri Lanka’s President during the Mullivaikkal Genocide.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa: Sri Lanka’s Defence Secretary during the Mullivaikkal Genocide.
Sunil Ratnayake: Convicted of murdering eight Tamil civilians, including children, in Mirusuvil in 2000.
Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi: Abducting and forcibly disappearing at least eight “Trincomalee 11” victims, from 2008 to 2009.
Sanction details:
o Freezing of assets in Canada.
o Barring access to financial services.
o Deeming them inadmissible to the country under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.
Sri Lankan reactions
Successive Sri Lankan governments have denounced sanctions placed on individuals for rights abuses. New president Anura Kumara Dissanayake has pledged not to prosecute perpetrators of war crimes and has instead met with sanctioned officials, such as Silva (above) who continues to serve as Chief of Defense staff.
However, the latest administration in Colombo welcomed sanctions placed on two individuals for corruption.
Sri Lanka’s Cabinet Spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa stated, “The US State Department has given a good response for those who have been trying to prove they were clean”.
“Through this, it will be easy for the Sri Lanka government to take action against those who are involved in the MiG and Airbus deals,” he said, adding, “I think this decision will be a catalyst and helpful for Sri Lanka’s efforts to prevent and stop corruption.”