The Independent Professionals for the Nation have released a letter to the armed forced of Sri Lanka requesting them to act in coordination with Protesters and allow them to practice their freedom of speech. The letter dated today (22), requested the Armed Forces to allow protesters to Freedom of Expression, of which the right to protest is an integral part, the Freedom of Association and the Freedom of Peaceful Assembly are Fundamental Rights guaranteed to them under our Constitution. "We write to you at a time our Nation is facing a watershed moment in its history. There are widespread protests throughout our country which have arisen spontaneously due to the extreme hardships faced by its people. We, as citizens of this country, are also facing these hardships, and without doubt you and your families face the same hardships. These protests are principally being carried out by the youth of our country, with the senior members supporting them without hesitation. The distinctive feature of these protests is the very disciplined and law-abiding manner in which they are carried out. Their core objective and struggle, is to create a better country and system for all of us," the statement read. The statement further thanked the Police and the armed forces as they interacted cordially with the protestors. "The day before yesterday, we were shocked to observe the use of lethal force on protestors who were reportedly unarmed, resulting in the death of a person and injuring many others. Although we do appreciate that the Police and the Armed Forces are duty bound to protect and maintain law and order, we cannot condone such actions and consider the use of lethal force on unarmed citizens as unwarranted and inexcusable. In our view, the use of lethal force on another person would only be justified in extreme instances where other persons or property are seriously endangered by the acts of such person. Therefore, as citizens and fellow professionals we earnestly request each of you to act with care and understanding and exercise utmost restraint when dealing with protestors. We request you to impress this position on each and every person under your command," the statement concluded.