Buddhist monks and UPFA MP warns Sri Lankan government against arresting military over massacres

A group of Buddhist monks and Member of Parliament for the National Freedom Front (NFF) Jayantha Samaraweera held a protest warning the government against arresting members of the military for human rights abuses.

The monks performed a religious ceremony calling for the release of Sri Lankan military officers who were arrested over their involvement in the disappearance of journalist Prageeth Ekneligoda.

Mr Samaraweera, a UPFA member, “warned the government of dire consequences unless it immediately stopped persecuting military officers on trumped-up charges,” reports The Island.

He also called for the release of Sunil Rathnayaka, the Sinhala soldier sentenced to death over the massacre of 8 Tamil civilians in Jaffna in 2001.

The MP stated that the government was pandering to Western powers by targeting members of the military for war crimes charges under a commitment given to the UN Human Rights Council, and warned of launching a series of street protests.

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