Leading rights body Amnesty International has slammed the Sri Lankan government for its "crackdown on political opposition," following the arrest of former military chief Sarath Fonseka, which it said escalates "post-election repression".
Amnesty said the arrest of the war hero and Mahinda Rajapaksa's main presidential challenger in the January 26 polls "continues the government's post-election crackdown on political opposition".
Sam Zarifi, Amnesty International's Asia-Pacific director asked Rajapaksa to "steer the country toward a better human
rights record" following his election victory that came after the defeat of the Tamil Tigers.
"Instead, we're seeing less and less tolerance for criticism," the body said.
Fonseka, who led the Army to a victory over the LTTE, fell out with the president and mounted an election campaign against him.
Following Rajapaksa's victory, the government claimed it had unearthed a Fonseka-led plot to topple the ruling dispensation and assassinate the president.
Fonseka, 58, was picked up from his office last night and faces a possible execution, with the government planning to try him in a military court.
"His detention escalates post-election repression," Amnesty said in a statement.
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