the Justice Ministry, in Sri Lanka, is firmly against

the Justice Ministry, in Sri Lanka, is firmly against abolishing the death penalty saying such a move could create a public backlash. Justice Ministry Secretary, Suhada Gamlath, said he was unaware of the Human Rights Commission’s proposal to abolish the death penalty.
On December 20, it was reported that the Human Rights Commission was proposing to impose a prison sentence instead of executing prisoners, and was planning to hand over its proposal early next year.
“There is a lot of social revulsion towards heinous crimes. We have to have a strong law imposed to curb crime,” Gamlath said.
He maintained that if an opinion poll were taken on the issue, Sri Lankans would vote in favour of the death penalty, adding that they would be angry if the death penalty was scrapped.
However, he clarified that as a State body, the Justice Ministry had not yet been asked to take a stand.