11/05/2022 (Agence Europe) – The EU condemns the Sri Lankan authorities’ crackdown on protesters in recent days. The Colombo government declared a state of emergency after several weeks of protests in the country and ordered a crackdown on opponents. This escalation resulted in many injuries and some deaths. This action has “triggered violence after a month of peaceful protests had shown that, despite some isolated incidents, Sri Lanka could exercise its right to freedom of expression in a peaceful manner”, said the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell. The EU calls on the authorities to investigate the events, and on both sides to exercise restraint and limit violence. Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaks, tendered his resignation on 9 May. (LM)