The Court of Appeal (CA) has upheld the death sentence given to Geeganagamage Amarasiri alias ‘Julampitiye Amare’ who was convicted of the shooting and killing of two persons at a Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna rally in June 2012.

This verdict was issued when an appeal filed by the convict through his attorneys, seeking an order to acquit and release him, was taken up before the two-Judge bench comprising Justices P. Kumararatnam and Sampath Abayakoon yesterday (20).

On 7 November 2019, the Tangalle High Court (HC) sentenced ‘Julampitiye Amare’ to death over the Katuwana shooting incident in 2012 which killed two, while causing injuries to another person. However, through his appeal, ‘Julampitiye Amare’ had claimed that during the trial, the HC Judge did not take the evidence submitted by the defence into consideration. Accordingly, the accused had requested the CA to acquit him from the relevant charges.

The CA Judges who heard the appeal stated that the Court does not intend to interfere with the death sentence issued by the HC Judge. Accordingly, the CA bench stated that the death sentence imposed on the accused will be upheld and the appeal dismissed.