Transitional justice in Sri Lanka demands military reform

The recent clampdown on deserters by Sri Lanka’s army underscores the need for military reform, argued Gerrit Kurtz in an interview with RFI on February 14. Currently, the military is the country’s biggest employer and defense spending accounts for the largest share of the annual budget, despite the war in Sri Lanka having ended almost eight years ago. If the government is serious about transitional justice, it needs to downsize and reform the military.