Amid worst financial crisis, Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency Friday allowing the military to arrest and detain suspects for long periods without trial.
Due to an unprecedented economic crisis, the country is witnessing severe protests and unrest and even hundreds tried to storm the President’s house in anger.
Sri Lanka is in the worst financial crisis ever. This has led to severe dissatisfaction among the citizens over the management of the government. As a result, protests outside President Rajapaksa’s residence and several parts of Colombo on Friday morning turned violent. Sri Lankan police imposed an overnight curfew.
According to Article 155 of the Constitution, the President has the discretion to declare a state of emergency. This decision cannot be challenged in the courts. The order issued by the President is valid for one month. And it must be approved by Parliament within 14 days. If not approved, it will expire.
Commodity prices have been skyrocketing over the past few days due to the current financial crisis in Sri Lanka. The country imposed power cuts for 13 hours a day. The Sri Lankan economy was badly damaged during the Covid epidemic since independence from Britain in 1948.