Sri Lanka’s former defence secretary and a frontrunner in next month’s presidential elections, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, has vowed to free all Sri Lankan soldiers that he claimed had been imprisoned on “absurd charges”.
Addressing a rally at Anuradhapura yesterday, Rajapaksa claimed that he had defeated “terrorism” and “a large number of soldiers who committed themselves to this cause have been falsely accused and put in prisons.”
“I want to say at this moment that on the morning of Nov. 17, all of them will be freed,” he declared.
Rajapaksa went on to state that Sri Lankan soldiers were “war heroes” who “saved the country”.
“We eliminated terrorism,” Rajapaksa claimed. "You do your duty on November 16 and thereafter I will undertake my duty to create a safe country.”
Gotabaya faces two lawsuits in the US, brought by survivors of horrific abuses including torture and sexual violence. He also oversaw the final phase of the armed conflict in 2009, that saw widespread rights abuses, including the shelling of hospitals and embargoes on food and medicine. Tens of thousands of Tamils were killed and many remain disappeared. Gotabaya stands accused of personally giving orders to execute those who surrendered.
We need your support
Sri Lanka is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be a journalist. Tamil journalists are particularly at threat, with at least 41 media workers known to have been killed by the Sri Lankan state or its paramilitaries during and after the armed conflict.
Despite the risks, our team on the ground remain committed to providing detailed and accurate reporting of developments in the Tamil homeland, across the island and around the world, as well as providing expert analysis and insight from the Tamil point of view
We need your support in keeping our journalism going. Support our work today.
For more ways to donate visit https://donate.tamilguardian.com.
