The United States and European Union Delegation in Sri Lanka have both condemned the recent anti-Muslim violence in Sri Lanka, calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.
In the daily press briefing for the US State Department, Spokesperson Jen Psaki started by saying,
“The United States also condemns the continuing violence in Sri Lanka. We are concerned by inflammatory rhetoric that has incited violence in recent days, resulting in several deaths, scores of injuries, and destruction of personal property. We urge the Sri Lankan Government to fulfill its obligations to protect religious minorities, including protecting all citizens and places of worship, conducting a full investigation into the violence, and bringing those responsible to justice.”
See her full comments here.
The European Union also spoke out against the violence, with a statement saying,
"The EU Delegation is very alarmed by the recent violence perpetrated against the Muslim community. We condemn the outbreak of communal violence which resulted in the loss of lives and extensive damage to property in the Kalutara District."
The statement went on to add,
“We welcome the Sri Lankan government’s assurance that it will investigate and bring to book those responsible for these incidents... Incitement of communal violence and hatred can only be counterproductive to Sri Lanka’s stability. We urge the Sri Lankan government to ensure that the rule of law is upheld”.
See the full statement here.
See related articles:
Tamil groups condemn attacks against Muslims, call for justice (18 June 2014)
Security forces, curfew assist Buddhist mobs attacking Muslims (17 Jun 2014)
'Those responsible for killings must be held to account’ says Amnesty (17 Jun 2014)
OIC: Sri Lanka must bring perpetrators of anti-Islamic violence to justice (17 Jun 2014)
UN rights chief ‘deeply alarmed’ by violence in Sri Lanka (16 Jun 2014)
Sinhalese mob violence leaves three Muslims dead (16 Jun 2014)
Sinhala group attacks Muslim shops, Rajapaksa urges restraint by all parties (15 Jun 2014)
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