Sri Lanka court lifts travel ban on ex-PM Mahinda Rajapaksa

The overseas travel ban which was imposed on former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa with regard to the May 9, 2022 clashes was lifted by a Sri Lankan court on Wednesday, Lankan news organization News First reported.

Alongside Rajapaksa, the travel ban against Member of Parliament Rohitha Abeygunawardena, Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi, and ex-provincial Council member Kanchana Jayaratne was entirely lifted by the Fort Magistrate's Court as well.

The ban was imposed on Rajapaksa and others in view of investigations for their alleged involvement in the deadly attack on peaceful anti-government protesters in Colombo on May 9, 2022.

The Sri Lankan Supreme Court had earlier issued an interim order that prevented them from leaving the country without the court's permission until August 11.

On July 22, 2022, a large military group, along with the police, launched a raid near the Presidential Secretariat and the protest site at Galle Face to clear the area of protesters. Several arrests were made.

With many Sri Lankans experiencing extreme shortages of essentials including food and fuel, peaceful protests began in March. The demonstrations led then-Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa to resign on May 9, and his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, to flee the country on July 13 and resign the following day.

Wickremasinghe became acting president, and parliament elected him as the new president on July 20 with the support of the Rajapaksas' political party, the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.