Sri Lanka’s newly appointed defence secretary vowed to push ahead with Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s election pledge of freeing imprisoned Sri Lankan soldiers, as he slammed efforts to prosecute those who committed human rights abuses.
"A number of war heroes were subjected to a witch hunt and prosecuted,” claimed Kamal Gunaratne, who himself stands accused of war crimes. “This government will bring justice to those who were imprisoned unfairly."
Rajapaksa vowed to free all Sri Lankan soldiers that he claimed had been imprisoned on “absurd charges”.
Gunaratne was commander of the Sri Lankan army’s infamous 53 Division during the 2009 massacres, in which tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed. The unit he headed is accused of numerous abuses, including sexual violence, summary executions and the disappearance of those who surrendered to the military.
