Sri Lanka to resume executions within two months: president

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka's president said Wednesday that a 42-year moratorium on capital punishment will end within two months with the hanging of drug convicts. Maithripala Sirisena told parliament he was committed to bringing back the death penalty for drug offenders, months after vowing a tougher line on spiralling narcotics-related crime inspired by a similar crackdown in the Philippines. "I hope to carry out the first hanging within a month or two," he said. "I appeal to human rights organisations not to try to pressure us on this decision." Criminals in Sri Lanka are regularly given death sentences for murder, rape and drug-related crimes but until now their punishments have been commuted to life jail. Following a visit to the Philippines last month, Sirisena said he wanted to copy President Rodrigo Duterte's strongarm tactics in dealing with illegal drugs.