A US court sentenced Sri Lanka’s former ambassador to Washington to a US$5,000 fine and two years probation last week, in a case that may have reverberations in Colombo and capitals around the world.

China Premier, Xi Jinping, and Russian President, Vladimir Putin, were amongst the first world leaders to congratulate Ranil Wickremesinghe for his appointment as Sri Lanka’s President.

The Valikamam East Pradeshiya Sabha marked the 39th anniversary of Black July in which over 3,000 Tamils were slaughtered. 

The International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP) have filed a criminal complaint to Singapore's Attorney General, seeking the "immediate arrest" of Sri Lanka's former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa for committing war crimes during the armed conflict. 

Responding to growing criticism of the violent crackdown on protesters, Jaffna newspaper Kalaikkathir reports that, Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe assembled a meeting of senior diplomats where he berated officials over their criticisms of his office.

Meenakshi Ganguly, South Asian Director for Human Rights Watch (HRW) has reiterated calls for the accused war criminal to be investigated and prosecuted under the principle of universal jurisdiction. 

Following a brutal crackdown on protesters, Colombo Magistrate’s Court has issued a travel ban on five leading activists engaged in anti-government demonstrators.

Members of the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) held a commemoration event in Jaffna on Saturday, to mark 39 years since Black July.

Lawmakers including M A Sumanthiran were present at the event, held at the Vadamarachchi office of the Tamil political party.

Sri Lanka will not see a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) until it emerges from its current political chaos according to a Professor of Political Economy at Johns Hopkins University.

Professor Deborah Brautigam told CNBC that “the IMF cannot… interact with the government when things are in a continuing crisis mode.” She continues “until the government stabilizes, until they have a Minister of Finance, there’s no one for the IMF to talk with.”

In a recent statement, Human Rights Watch (HRW) condemned the use of force against peaceful protesters by the Sri Lankan security forces. The organization emphasized that “respect for human rights is critical for economic recovery.”

Following a crackdown on demonstrators in Colombo, Britain’s South Asia Minister, Lord Tariq Ahmad, has stated on Twitter that he has had a “constructive conversation” with Sri Lanka’s President which focused on the right to peaceful protest.

Responding to crack down on protesters by Sri Lanka’s military, JVP General Secretary Tilvin Silva claimed that the act of was an “act of revenge”.

Marking the 39^th anniversary of Black July, an anti-Tamil pogrom that saw the slaughter of an estimated 30,000 Tamils, Canadian politicians have issued statements commemorating the tragedy.

Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated:

Speaking with The Sunday Morning, Tamil National Alliance (TNA) Spokesperson MA Sumanthiran spoke out against the crackdown on protesters whilst defending the party’s support for Dullas Alahapperuma on the grounds of “political stability”.