One day after Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn into office as Sri Lanka’s new president, security forces swept through the main camp used by protesters in the capital Colombo, injuring 50 activists and journalists during midnight raid on July 22, 2022. Parliament had confirmed the selection of the prime minister to take over as president in a 134-89 vote on July 20. Wickremesinghe had secured the backing of Sri Lanka’s largest political party, but many activists questioned whether his leadership will only bring more of the same policies that protesters blame for a spiral of debt and political turmoil in the country.
