The International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) has criticised the Sri Lankan government’s announcement that it resume carrying out executions, calling it an “egregious violation” of international human rights law.
Earlier this week the United Kingdom and European Union reiterated their opposition to Sri Lanka's proposed implementation of the death penalty.
“Resuming executions would be an egregious violation of Sri Lanka’s obligations under international human rights law, a serious threat to human rights in the country, and it would be inconsistent with the global trend towards the abolition of the death penalty,” said Frederick Rawski, ICJ’s Asia-Pacific Director.
Related articles:
Sirisena vows to implement death penalty within 3 months
Sri Lankan president calls for war on drug in 'similar manner' as massacres of armed conflict
Sirisena says he has 'no fear' of NGOs and stands firm on capital punishment
“At least 150 countries have now either abolished the death penalty or instituted an official or unofficial moratorium. There is a growing understanding around the world that the death penalty is an unacceptable assault on rights and dignity,” Rawski added.
The ICJ went on to state that it “calls on the Government of Sri Lanka to reject the resumption of executions and to do away with the death penalty once and for all”.
See more from the ICJ here.
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.
