The decision triggered a heated debate among human...

The decision triggered a heated debate among human rights activists and the media. "I am totally opposed to the death penalty. Bringing it back will expose our lack of civilization," argued Sri Lanka's Radhika Coomaraswamy, U.N. international rapporteur on violence against women and a rights activist. She said the issue raised serious moral questions and noted that there was no evidence that the death penalty was a deterrent. Karunachala, a pseudonym for a government columnist, wrote in the state-run Sunday Observer that "The fundamental objection is that the death penalty is the one punishment against which there is no possibility or purpose of appeal after it is carried out." Justice minister Batty Weerakoon said she was determined to carry out the death penalty. "It will take effect. It will be done," Weerakoon said.