US urges new SL president to respect human rights

The United States called on the new president, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to ensure human rights and accountability after a campaign in which he vowed to scrap a probe into alleged war crimes.

“The United States congratulates the people of Sri Lanka on their democratic election and stands ready to work with Gotabaya Rajapaksa as the new President of Sri Lanka.  We call on President Rajapaksa to uphold Sri Lanka’s commitments to security sector reform, accountability, respect for human rights, and non-recurrence of violence,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.

“Sri Lanka continued to show the strength and resiliency of its democracy with a free, fair, and transparent presidential election befitting Asia’s oldest democracy.  We applaud the Sri Lankan Elections Commission, Sri Lankan civil society, and the candidates themselves for promoting a peaceful election,” he said.  

He also said, “Sri Lanka is a valued partner, and we want to work with the government and people of Sri Lanka to advance cooperation on bilateral and regional issues, including fostering a free and open Indo-Pacific region where all countries can prosper, deepening good governance, and promoting justice, reconciliation, and human rights.”