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A Sri Lankan province governor who had been accused of killing people during the lengthy civil war on the island would not be granted a visa by the United States, it was announced on Wednesday.
Wasantha Karannagoda was one of several people named in a Sri Lankan investigation as having killed wealthy families’ teenage children after kidnapping them for ransom.
When Sri Lanka defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009, then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who oversaw the defence, appointed him governor of North Western Province. He was named governor right away when officials dropped the charges in 2021, which resulted in a protest from human rights advocates.
Karannagoda’s accusers, according to Secretary of State Antony Blinken, continue to be “serious and credible,” and the governor and his wife will not be permitted to enter the country.
In a statement that was made public, Blinken said that “the United States reaffirms its support for upholding human rights, ending retribution for human rights violators, acknowledging the pain of victims and survivors, and promoting accountability for perpetrators in Sri Lanka.”
With China, the island’s largest creditor, making inroads into Sri Lanka, both the United States and India have expressed concern over the situation.
Due to economic mismanagement that resulted in severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicines, Sri Lanka last year defaulted on its external debt and was overthrown by irate protests.
According to a UN commission, the 37-year battle may have ended with 40,000 civilian deaths. Abusive behaviour is denied by government representatives.
