I will not support death penalty – PM

I will not support death penalty – PM

June 30, 2019   05:22 pm

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe says that he cannot support the death penalty because harming lives is against the policy of the United National Party (UNP).

The UNP, as the main party in the government, the Opposition led by Mahinda Rajapaksa, Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and the Tamil National Alliance (TNA) are all against the decision to reinstate the death penalty.

The Prime Minister further said that he expects to discuss this issue, first, with the Cabinet of Ministers and then with the President and the Speaker.

The Prime Minister expressed these views at an event held in Monaragala District, today (30).

Further speaking, Wickremesinghe said that Sri Lanka supported the United Nations (UN) resolution on the death penalty in 2016 when Maithripala Sirisena was President and Wickremesinghe was the Prime Minister.

“Sri Lanka once again agreed to support the resolution when the UN re-reviewed the resolution on December 17, 2018. At that time, the President was Maithripala Sirisena while Mahinda Rajapaksa held the premiership”, he pointed out.

Late President J. R. Jayawardena first suspended the death penalty; succeeding Presidents R. Premadasa, D.B. Wijetunga, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga and Mahinda Rajapaksa followed through the decision, he added.

Disclaimer: All the comments will be moderated by the AD editorial. Abstain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or slanderous. Please avoid outside hyperlinks inside the comment and avoid typing all capitalized comments. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by flagging them(mouse over a comment and click the flag icon on the right side). Do use these forums to voice your opinions and create healthy discourse.

Most Viewed Video Stories

AG directed to file contempt charges against Deshabandu Tennakoon (English)

AG directed to file contempt charges against Deshabandu Tennakoon (English)

Ex-President Ranil to appear before Bribery Commission on Monday (English)

Sri Lanka and US agree to expedite bilateral trade agreement (English)

IMF reaches staff-level agreement with Sri Lanka on fourth review (English)

'Siri Dalada Vandanawa' to conclude on Sunday as planned (English)

'This will be the year that the Treasury will receive its highest income' - President

LIVE🔴 Ada Derana Prime Time News Bulletin 6.55 pm

🔴LIVE - Ada Derana 12.00 Midday Prime News Bulletin - 2025.04.25