Description

On 21st July, the protestors publicly announced that they are ready to hand over the Presidential Secretariat premises to the authorities taking “a strategic step back” giving a reasonable time to assess the government's performance and plans. While everything was ready to hand over the building, the sleeping protestors occupying the Presidential Secretariat, and those who were in the huts set up on the road sides were brutally assaulted with batons by the military in the early morning of 22nd July 2022, without any prior warning. Disabled soldiers, and deaf and mute demonstrators were among those attacked and their huts were also vandalised by the military. Journalists were also attacked as described in the previous section. Lawyer Nuwan Bopage and eight others who got arrested during the raid were granted bail later on the same day. According to Human Rights Watch during the military raid, more than 50 people were injured and at least 9 others were arrested. Nine people who got arrested including several journalists and a lawyer were produced before a magistrate and granted bail on the same day.