GENEVA: The UN human rights agency on Friday slammed an ongoing anti-narcotics crackdown in Sri Lanka that has resulted in the arrest of more than 30,000 suspects and sparked allegations of widespread abuses by the authorities.
Police in the South Asian country have said the arrests were made since the operation code-named “Yuktiya” (Justice) in mid-December, part of a promise to get illegal drugs off the streets by the end of June.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk is urging Sri Lanka’s government to review the operation and implement a rights-based approach to combatting illicit drugs, AFP reported.
A spokeswoman for Turk told journalists that security forces have reportedly conducted raids without search warrants, arresting suspected drug sellers and users, with hundreds sent to military-run rehabilitation centres.
People have reportedly been subjected to multiple rights violations, including ill-treatment, public strip searches, unauthorized searches, arbitrary arrests and detention, and torture.
The spokeswoman said that while drug use presents a serious challenge to society, a heavy-handed law enforcement approach is not the solution.
She said that abuse of drugs and the factors that lead to it are first and foremost public health and social problems. People suspected of trafficking or selling drugs are entitled to humane treatment, with full respect for due process and fair, transparent trials.
She also said that lawyers defending arrested suspects had faced intimidation from police officers.
Sri Lankan police seize drugs
Sri Lankan police have said they about 800 kg (1,760 pounds) of narcotics, including 340 kg of cannabis and seventy kg of heroin, have been seized in the operation.
Authorities believe the Indian Ocean Island is being used as a drug trafficking transit point.
