Amazon has taken steps to withdraw from sale in the United Kingdom the book authored by former Navy Commander Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda.
The book, titled “The Turning Point: The Naval Role in Sri Lanka’s War on LTTE Terrorism”, is Karannagoda’s autobiography.
This move was made by Amazon UK following a request submitted to Amazon’s Public Policy Department by the International Truth and Justice Project (ITJP).
The ITJP had informed the company that selling Karannagoda’s book in the UK constituted a violation of sanctions law.
According to UK sanctions, providing funds or assets—including royalties—to a sanctioned individual is a criminal offense, punishable by up to seven years of imprisonment.
Responding to this request, Amazon UK has officially confirmed in writing that the book has been withdrawn, the ITJP stated.
The publisher of this book is Penguin Random House India, a branch of the world’s largest English-language publishing group, headquartered in the UK.
On March 24, the UK government imposed sanctions on Karannagoda and several other individuals from Sri Lanka.
Under the Global Human Rights Sanctions Regulations 2020, Karannagoda was sanctioned for alleged involvement in human rights violations, including unlawful killings, during his tenure as Navy Commander between 2005 and 2009, when Sri Lanka’s armed conflict was ongoing.
The ITJP had also been among the parties urging the UK government to impose these sanctions.
