The United States said Wednesday it would deny visas to a Sri Lankan provincial governor accused of atrocities during the island’s protracted civil war.

A Sri Lankan probe accused former navy chief Wasantha Karannagoda, among others, of kidnapping wealthy families’ teenage children and killing them after extorting money.

Authorities dismissed charges against him in 2021, sparking outrage from human rights groups, and he was soon appointed governor of North Western Province by then-president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who served as defense chief when Sri Lanka defeated the Tamil Tiger rebels in 2009.

“The charges against the Karannagoda remained serious and credible, and neither the governor nor his wife would be permitted to enter the United States”, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

In a statement, Antony Blinken said, “The United States reaffirms its commitment to upholding human rights, ending impunity for human rights violators, acknowledging the suffering of victims and survivors, and promoting accountability for perpetrators in Sri Lanka”.

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The human rights lawsuit comes as both the United States and India express concern about China, the island’s biggest creditor, making advances in Sri Lanka.

Last year, Sri Lanka defaulted on its external debt and saw angry protests that toppled Rajapaksa over economic mismanagement that brought acute food, fuel, and medicine shortages.

A UN panel has stated that 40,000 civilians may have been killed in the last stages of the 37-year conflict. Government officials deny abuses.

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