A statement from Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office says that Sri Lanka under President Maithripala Sirisena has supported UN resolutions for a moratorium on the death penalty in 2016 and 2018. Sri Lanka’s PM said that he opposes a decision by the president to execute drug convicts, saying the country must conduct its affairs in a civilized manner. Wickremesinghe has said he plans to discuss the matter with the Cabinet and later with the president and the speaker of Parliament.
Sirisena announced last week that he has signed the death warrants of four drug convicts and that the executions will take place soon, ending a 43-year moratorium on capital punishment. Prisoners, rights groups and religious leaders have petitioned the Supreme Court to block the executions.
Sri Lankan’s Prez’s decission to execute drug convicts opposed by PM
