Dozens arrested in Sri Lanka following protests over economy
ABC News
Dozens of people were arrested in Sri Lanka following protests near the president’s home demanding that he resign amid the country’s worst economic crisis in memory
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka -- Dozens of people were arrested in Sri Lanka following protests near the president's home demanding that he resign amid the country's worst economic crisis in memory, police said Friday.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office blamed “organized extremists” within the group of protesters for violence during Thursday night's demonstration, where police fired tear gas and a water cannon at thousands of protesters and arrested 54 people.
Nuwan Bopage, an attorney representing some of the suspects, said several of them were being taken for medical examinations for various injuries and would likely appear in court later Friday.
The protesters blame Rajapaksa for long power outages and shortages of essentials. A police curfew that had been implemented in the suburbs of the capital was lifted Friday morning.
