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Sri Lankan rally against crackdown on protesters

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The Associated Press

Associated Press

Eranga Jayawardena

Colombo, Sri Lanka (AP) — Hundreds of Sri Lankans on Tuesday announced a government crackdown and emergency laws against peaceful protesters seeking answers. to the country's worst economic crisis, which rallied against the use of

Protesters led by religious and trade union leaders marched to Colombo's Independence Square to repeal emergency laws, halt arrests of peaceful protesters, immediately dissolve parliament, and Relief for people suffering from lack of basic necessities and poverty.

Last month, former President Gotabaya Rajapakse fled to Singapore and resigned after demonstrators stormed his official residence and took over several key government buildings. At that time, four months of street protests reached their climax. His brother, Mahinda Rajapaksa, resigned as prime minister in his May, and his four other family members had resigned as ministers before him.

Protesters accuse the Rajapaksa family of putting the country in jeopardy through mismanagement and corruption.

Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected by parliament to complete his five-year Rajapaksa term until 2024. Rajapaksas are meant to prevent the former ruling family from being held accountable.

Several groups initially called for mass rallies to remove Wickremesinghe, but failed to gain support, leading to smaller protests. I was forced to They called for a provisional government, the dissolution of parliament, and new elections.

Since his election, Wickremesinghe has called on the military and police to violently dismantle protest camps and arrest those they identify as breaking into the presidential palace and other state buildings. have allowed.

Wickremesinghe visited army headquarters on Tuesday to thank the soldiers who defended parliament when protesters tried to enter last month.

"If we had lost the parliament, we would have been in big trouble...we would have lost the system of government as we know it" people.