84 arrested as police use tear gas, water cannon to disperse student rally

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By Editor_1
Anti-government protestors scuffle with the police during a demonstration in Colombo on Saturday (24).  Sri Lanka police dispersed hundreds of demonstrators, a day after severely curtailing protest rights in response to months of unrest sparked by the island nation's sharp economic downturn -ISHARA S. KODIKARA / AFP

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka police on Saturday (24) arrested 84 protesters, including activists of the radical Socialist Youth Front, as hundreds took to the streets to protest march against the government and its recent moves to use a controversial anti-terrorism law to detain people for exercising the right to democratic protest.

Police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the demonstrators before making the arrests, a day after severely curtailing protest rights in response to months of unrest sparked by the island nation’s sharp economic downturn.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe has taken a tough line against activists who forced his predecessor to flee the country and resign in July at the peak of the country’s crisis.

Officers in anti-riot gear blocked the student march hours after the government declared the city centre a “high security zone”, outlawing protests in the vicinity.

Police fired tear gas and water cannon to clear out the demonstrators, who were demanding the release of fellow activists detained under draconian anti-terror laws.

The protesters accused the government of using the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to detain people for exercising the right to democratic protest.

Wickremesinghe on Friday (23) ordered a ban on all demonstrations and protests near key institutions, including his office, court complexes and the homes of military top brass.

Sri Lanka’s influential bar association condemned the ban and said it seriously undermined freedom of expression and assembly.

The edict “seeks to significantly curtail the liberty of the citizen, without any reasonable or legal basis,” it said in a statement.

Sri Lanka endured months of acute food and fuel shortages, extended blackouts and runaway inflation after running out of foreign currency to finance essential imports this year.

At the height of the resulting unrest, thousands of people stormed the residence of then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and forced him to flee the country.

The government has defaulted on its $51 billion foreign debt and is finalizing an International Monetary Fund bailout.

Shortly after Wickremesinghe took power, troops dismantled a long-running protest site outside the president’s office and arrested hundreds of people that had participated in demonstrations.

Police says three student leaders have been detained under anti-terror laws, while the rest have been released on bail.

Rajapaksa returned home earlier this month and has been living under the government’s protection, despite calls to prosecute him for atrocities committed during Sri Lanka’s long civil war and a string of corruption allegations while in office.

AFP/ENCL

 

 

Editor_1
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