A Sri Lankan court has ordered a travel ban on a Catholic priest for being part of the “GotaGoGama” protests demanding President Gotabaya Rajpaksha’s resignation over the nation’s worsening economic situation.
Officials from the Criminal Investigation Department in-formed Father Amila Jeewantha Pieris about the travel ban on May 23.
The activist priest has been involved with the month-long protests in the open space opposite the presidential secretariat in Colombo.
“The government is sending another message that they will make the victims more vulnerable,” said Fr Pieris while asserting that the struggle can-not be stopped by such intimidation. He said the protests will end only when the president and Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe resign.
The court order was reportedly passed to allow further investigations into the com-plaint lodged by Father Pieris and others regarding attacks by pro-government supporters on peaceful protesters at the Galle Face on May 9.
“The successor president and the new prime minister should not be part of the Rajapaksa family regime. They should also not be accused of financial corruption or crime.”