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Operation Yukthiya
Date
17 December 2023 – present (1 year, 2 weeks and 2 days)
Operation Yukthiya (Sinhala: යුක්තිය මෙහෙයුම, lit. 'Operation Justice') is an ongoing anti-drug operation conducted by the Sri Lankan Police following directives from the Ministry of Public Security.[1] Starting from 17 December 2023, the police, the Special Task Force and the Sri Lankan Army carried out islandwide raids with 38,525 suspects being arrested as of 17 January 2024.[2] Authorities have seized hundreds of kilograms of illegal drugs, valued at approximately 4.7 billion Sri Lankan rupees.[2] Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles stated that crime rates across the country fell by 17% within the first month of the operation.[3]
The operation has notably drawn criticism from the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, and various other human rights groups,[4][5] who have expressed concerns over the mass arrests and potential human rights violations.[6][7] Tiran Alles has dismissed the criticism and reaffirmed his commitment to the operation.[8]