Sri Lankan president orders 4 executions, lifting 42-year moratorium
Posted on June 26th, 2019

By Danielle Haynes Courtesy UPI

Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena said he wants to follow the Philippines’ war on drugs. File Photo by M.A. Pushpa Kumara/EPA-EFE

June 26 (UPI) — Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena approved the executions of four drug offenders Wednesday, putting an end to the country’s moratorium on the death penalty since 1976.

The move is part of Sirisena’s effort to replicate what he said was the success of the Philippines’ war on drugs. He said the country is home to 300,000 addicts and 60 percent of all prisoners were imprisoned due to drug offenses.

“I have already signed the death penalty for four [convicts]. It will be implemented soon and we have already decided the date as well,” he said.

Though Sri Lanka put a hold on executions 42 years ago, some 1,299 people sit on death row, including 48 convicted for drug crimes.

After Sirisena first announced his intention to lift the moratorium in July, the government began looking for an executioner. One has not yet been appointed.

Amnesty International Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo called on Sirisena not to carry out the executions.

“I reach out to you to plead for the lives of people who may soon be executed in Sri Lanka if you revive the death penalty,” Naidoo said.

5 Responses to “Sri Lankan president orders 4 executions, lifting 42-year moratorium”

  1. Randeniyage Says:

    He should show the best example by he himself facing the punishment, after murdering so many people. At least his coffin need not get wipers attached then !

  2. aloy Says:

    prez always does the opposite of what he says. We all saw, the manner he castigated the UNP government before he reappointed them after terminating them. RW was virtually covering his face in shame. But now he is the man in driver’s seat. Once he said he would never appoint him. He also said he will not allow the giving away of Colombo East terminal saying that we will then have no port. But was it not the opposite that he was confirming yesterday. We thought the agreement was not yet signed; only a MOU was signed. But the man has done the job and was trying to cover it up by doing another thing: giving the “death sentence” to only four fellows in the death row.
    They are all together behind the scene, “you scratch my back and I will scratch yours” to do the most dastardly thing: selling Mother Lanka. We even have to obtain a loan from Japan ( another sick giant) to buy equipment for a jetty that we spent to develop and which will be virtually owned by India!.
    We have to bring in a leader who will declare death penalty to all these perpetrators.

  3. Ananda-USA Says:

    If the DEATH SENTENCE is to be given to ANYONE, let it be the TRAITORS who BETRAY the Nation to its ENEMIES, and SELL INALIENABLE NATIONAL ASSETS belonging to the citizens of our Motherland to FOREIGNERS!

    HANG these TRAITORS HIGH, HANG these TRAITORS NOW!

  4. Dilrook Says:

    He has lied about this for so long. Will he finally do it?

    Sri Lanka was a far more peaceful country when death penalty was in operation. After it was removed, all hell broke lose.

    Ancient Sri Lanka which was a strict Buddhist country had the death penalty. Other Therawadi Buddhist countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Burma, etc. and other Buddhist majority countries like Singapore, Japan practice it.

    Not surprisingly there are those who support drug dealers too! The curse of Sri Lanka.

  5. Ananda-USA Says:

    The govt is now ready to appoint a hangman, but some IDIOT named Malinda Seneviratne has filed a court case seeking an injunction.

    Sri Lanka should dispense with hangmen, and use a well trained firing squad instead, with only a couple of the shooters in the squad have live bullets.

    Meanwhile, almost every western nation that kills innocents and culprits alike from far without batting an eyelid, are decrying the imposition of the death penalty in Sri Lanka trying desperately to combat terrorism and drug dealing.

    There are some crimes so heinous, like drug dealing, intentionally making women infertile, and TREASON among them, for which the DEATH PENALTY is well deserved.

    No nation that values the lives of its citizens and innocent victims should exclude the death penalty as a valid and proper punishment despite the wails of the WESTERN HYPOCRITES!

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