After the Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared an island-wide state of emergency, the envoys of the European Union, the United States, and several other western countries have expressed their concern over the move by the government.
These comments from representatives came after President Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency with effect from midnight on Friday as anti-government protests continue.
Delegation of the European Union in Sri Lanka, in a tweet, noted that imposing a state of emergency will not help solve the problems of the country. “A month of peaceful demonstrations has shown how Sri Lankan citizens fully enjoy their right to freedom of expression in the oldest democracy in South Asia. State of emergency will certainly not help solve the country’s difficulties and could have a counterproductive effect,” the EU in Sri Lanka said, reported Colombo Page.
Showing worry over the second emergency in the country by the government, the United States Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung said, “Concerned by another State of Emergency. The voices of peaceful citizens need to be heard. And the very real challenges Sri Lankans are facing require long-term solutions to set the country back on a path toward prosperity and opportunity for all. The SOE won’t help do that.”
Meanwhile, the Swiss Ambassador to Sri Lanka and the Maldives, Dominik Furgler also told that this proclamation will not help in any way. “For weeks the Sri Lankans have been peacefully demonstrating because they are desperate and suffering. To avoid an escalation the causes have to be seriously and credibly addressed now. It’s hard to see how a state of emergency could help in any way,” he said in a tweet.
The Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka David McKinnon asked the Sri Lankan government why was the announcement of emergency necessary when people were holding peaceful protests.
“Over the past weeks, the demonstrations across Sri Lanka have overwhelmingly involved citizens enjoying their right to peaceful freedom of expression, and are a credit to the country’s democracy. It’s hard to understand why it is necessary, then, to declare a state of emergency,” the Canadian envoy said, as per the media outlet.
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka also urged the government to immediately explain the reasons why a state of emergency was imposed in the country.
The Commission also launched an investigation into the brutal attack on civilians by police during a protest at the Parliament Roundabout last night. It instructed the Inspector General of Police to appear before the Commission on Monday. (ANI)
