A group collecting evidence on Sri Lanka's alleged human rights violations has filed a criminal complaint with Singapore's attorney general, seeking the arrest of a former Sri Lankan president for his alleged role in war crimes committed during the island nation's civil war, which ended more than a decade ago.

Lawyers from the International Truth and Justice Project — an evidence-gathering organization administered by a South African non-profit foundation — filed the complaint, requesting the immediate arrest of ex-Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa for his role as secretary of defense during Sri Lanka's civil war, which ended in 2009, the group announced in a press release on Sunday.

Rajapaksa is thought to be residing in Singapore after departing Sri Lanka following months of enormous protests against him for the country's economic collapse.

Midway through July, Rajapaksa fled the nation as enraged Sri Lankan demonstrators stormed his mansion. He visited the neighboring Maldives before flying to Singapore.

"The 63-page complaint argues that Rajapaksa committed grave violations of the Geneva Conventions during the 2009 civil war while he was defense secretary, and that these are crimes subject to domestic prosecution in Singapore under universal jurisdiction," the group stated.

Mr. Rajapaksa was one of the most influential figures in his brother's administration, president Mahinda Rajapaksa, who controlled Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2015. He held the position of secretary of the ministry of defense.

He was elected president of Sri Lanka in 2019. Still, He was forced to quit the country in mid-July due to public outrage over his failure to manage a tremendous economic crisis that devastated many Sri Lankans' livelihoods.

"The economic meltdown has resulted in the collapse of the government, but the crisis in Sri Lanka is really tied to structural impunity for serious international crimes dating back at least three decades," said Yasmin Sooka, executive director of the International Truth and Justice Project.

"This complaint acknowledges that it's not just about corruption and economic mismanagement, but also about accountability for crimes of mass atrocity," she continued.

According to conservative estimates by the United Nations, Sri Lanka's civil war claimed 100,000 lives, and the actual number is likely substantially greater.

According to a UN panel of experts report, at least 40,000 civilians from the Tamil ethnic minority were slain in the conflict's final months.

Tamil Tiger insurgents fought to establish an independent state for the Tamil ethnic minority.

After Mr. Rajapaksa fled the country, Ranil Wickremesinghe, the prime minister, became the acting president. Last week, Sri Lanka's 225-member parliament voted Wickremesinghe to serve as president for the remainder of Mr. Rajapaksa's term. Last week, Mr. Wickremesinghe was sworn in.

Sri Lankans have taken to the streets for months to demand that their top officials stand down and accept responsibility for the economic catastrophe that has left the nation's 22 million inhabitants facing shortages of medicine, petrol, and food.