Colombo:
Sri Lanka is facing a serious economic crisis, in which a large number of people have been affected. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has now revoked the state of emergency declared earlier in the month. The relaxation came into effect from midnight of April 5.
The island nation has seen massive protests in recent days and that is why a state of emergency was imposed, as planned for April 3 against the current economic hardships being faced by the people. The ruling coalition lost its majority in the 225-member parliament on Tuesday, days after the entire cabinet was left out en masse.
The Sri Lankan economy has registered a major decline since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The country is also facing a foreign exchange crunch, which has affected its ability to import food and fuel, leading to power cuts in the country. The shortage of essential commodities forced Sri Lanka to seek aid from friendly countries.
The UN Human Rights Office has expressed concern over the deepening economic crisis and urged the government to de-escalate tensions peacefully.
OHCHR spokeswoman Liz Throsel said in a statement that her office is “concerned that such measures are intended to prevent or discourage people from legitimately expressing their grievances through peaceful protests and that they are in the public interest.”
Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has revoked the state of emergency declared on 1 April with immediate effect. In gazette notification number 2274/10 issued on Tuesday night, the President said that he has withdrawn the Emergency Rules Ordinance, which has given broad powers to the security forces to prevent any disturbance in the country.
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