New Delhi: Sri Lanka, which has been facing one of its worst ever economic crisis and anti-government protests in view of the same, lifted the state of emergency with effect from Friday midnight. The Presidential Secretariat stated that the state of emergency has been lifted with effect from Friday midnight, Hiru News reported, according to PTI. This comes nearly two weeks after it was imposed across Sri Lanka. The move was taken with the improvement in the law and order situation in the island nation.
The state of emergency gave the police and the security forces sweeping power to arbitrarily arrest and detain people.
Amid growing nationwide anti-government protests over the economic crisis, embattled Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had declared a state of emergency with effect from May 6 midnight, the second time in just over a month.
The decision to declare the emergency had come amid weeks of protests demanding the resignation of the President and the government, blaming the powerful Rajapaksa clan for mishandling Sri Lanka’s economy.
At least nine people were killed and over 200 others injured in clashes between pro- and anti-government protesters.
Sri Lanka is facing its worst economic crisis since gaining independence from Britain in 1948.
The crisis is caused in part by a lack of foreign currency, which has meant that the island nation cannot afford to pay for imports of staple foods and fuel, leading to acute shortages and very high prices.
An inflation rate spiralling towards 40 percent, shortages of food, fuel and medicines and rolling power blackouts have led to nationwide protests and a plunging currency, with the Sri Lankan government short of the foreign currency reserves it needed to pay for imports.