Now, as Sri Lanka prepares to elect a new leader, Namal Rajapaksa is running for president.
The 38-year-old is the son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and the nephew of the ousted President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The Rajapaksa family has been a mainstay in Sri Lankan politics for decades.
Vellaiyan Sivaprakash, a Tamil who works as an auditor in central Sri Lanka, said he constantly lived in fear of violence during the Rajapaksa rule and doubted whether he could live in Sri Lanka anymore.
Even though many of them believe Namal Rajapaksa has no chance of winning, they are banking on his future prospects.

Rajapaksa clan heir runs for Sri Lanka president after family forced out of power