A Sri Lankan court sentences 12 men to death for the murder of a lawmaker during the 2022 protests
Colombo, Sri Lanka — A Sri Lankan court on Wednesday sentenced 12 men to death for the murder of a lawmaker and his bodyguard in May 2022 during violence that erupted at the height of the crisis in the island nation. Economic crisis.
The Gampaha High Court convicted the men of unlawful assembly, assault and murder of Amarakirthi Athukorali and his bodyguard, who was a police officer, said Oswald Pereira, chief state counsel.
Athukorali, who was a lawmaker for the ruling party, and his bodyguard were attacked and killed in Nitamboa, about 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) north of the capital, Colombo, after a crowd of people intercepted the car they were traveling in.
Police said at the time that Athukorali or his bodyguard fired gunshots at the protesters, who later chased them down and trapped them inside a building where police later found their battered bodies.
Pereira said the court also convicted four other people on charges of unlawful assembly and sentenced them to six months in prison, suspended for five years. 23 other people were acquitted.
Violence broke out in May 2022 after ruling party supporters attacked a peaceful anti-government demonstration calling for the resignation of the leaders of the then ruling party due to the economic crisis. Dozens of lawmakers and their supporters were attacked during widespread violence, while several homes were attacked and set on fire.
The economic crisis in Sri Lanka has brought a severe shortage of it It led to the overthrow President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The country declared bankruptcy in April 2022 with debts of more than $83 billion.
One of the senior opposition representatives Ranil Wickremesinghe He was sworn in as president by Parliament in July 2022 and led the economic recovery. Under his leadership, Inflation decreased The local currency strengthened and foreign reserves increased. But he faced a public backlash over his government’s strict austerity measures.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake Elected in 2024 to fight corruption platform.
Although the courts have the legal authority to impose the death penalty, Sri Lanka has not executed a prisoner since 1976.
