The Canadian Government has announced targeted sanctions against Former Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and Former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for what it called “gross and systematic violations of human rights during the armed conflict in Sri Lanka”.

The Canadian Government also included Staff Sergeant Sunil Ratnayake of the Sri Lanka Army who was found guilty of the infamous Mirusuvil massacre and Lieutenant Commander Chandana Prasad Hettiarachchi alias ‘Navy Sampath’ the main accused of the Navy abduction for ransom case in its sanctions.

Accordingly, the sanctions will effectively freeze any assets they may hold in Canada, bar them from financial or related services and deem them inadmissible to Canada under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act.

Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly announcing the sanction said “Canada has taken decisive action today to end international impunity against violators of international law."