President of Sri Lanka Maithripala Sirisena

SRI LANKA: CARRYING OUT DEATH PENALTY WILL CAUSE LOSS OF GSP+ SAYS JVP

July 3, 2019:

President Maithripala Sirisena’s decision to carry out the death penalty will lead Sri Lanka to lose GSP+ benefits received from the European Union as well as set the stage for an anti-Sri Lanka campaigns across the world, the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) MP Bimal Rathnayake cautioned the Parliament on 28 June 2019.
According to MP Rathnayake, Sri Lanka has damaged its reputation due to the Easter Sunday attacks and is badly in need of rebuilding it among other countries. 
“Now we need help from all to improve the country’s reputation. But carrying out the death penalty will not help but further make room for campaigns against Sri Lanka. There is also a big potential for us to lose the GSP + facility from the European Union if the death penalty is carried out,” he said. Questioning the basis for the President’s decision to re-establish the carrying out of the death penalty, the MP Rathnayake held the Government will have to tighten investigations and crime prevention rather than hanging condemned prisoners on the death row.