Canada has imposed sanctions against four of Sri Lanka's top state officials, including former Presidents Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Mahinda Rajapaksa, over human rights violations during armed conflict in Sri Lanka from 1983 to 2009.
Canada has cited "gross and systematic violations of human rights" in Sri Lanka’s civil conflict as a reason behind these sanctions.
The other officials include staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake & Lt Commander Chandana P Hettiarachchithe.
"Over the past four decades, the people of Sri Lanka have suffered a great deal due to the armed conflict, economic and political instability, and gross violations of human rights," Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said.
"Canada has taken decisive action today to end international impunity against violators of international law."
(To receive our E-paper on WhatsApp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
