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SJB hopeful of Ranjan’s freedom today

03 Feb 2022

 
  • Prez to pardon 197 prisoners; 17 earmarked from Welikada for special pardon  
  • Sajith requests Prez to pardon Ramanayake ‘in the name of humanity’ 
  • SJB to launch democratic struggle to free Ranjan if not released
  BY Buddhika Samaraweera In the backdrop of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa being scheduled to pardon 197 prisoners on the occasion of the national Independence Day which falls today (4), the main parliamentary Opposition party, the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB), expressed hope that actor and former SJB Parliamentarian Ranjan Ramanayake, who is currently serving a four-year term of rigorous imprisonment for contempt of court, will also be at the top of the list of those pardoned. Opposition and SJB Leader Sajith Premadasa expressed the above while speaking to the media yesterday (3) after meeting Ramanayake, who is being held at the Colombo Magazine Prison. Premadasa said that Ramanayake has lost the opportunity to serve the public due to imprisonment and that he and his party therefore hoped that Ramanayake would be given a full presidential pardon on Independence Day. “He has been in prison for a long time now and he has lost the opportunity to continue the humanitarian work he has been doing as an artiste and a politician. Since many prisoners are to be pardoned in view of Independence Day, we are confident that he will also be given a pardon,” he said. Claiming that he had learnt that the list of thousands of prisoners to be pardoned today had already been prepared by yesterday, Premadasa said that Ramanayake should be at the top of the said list. He also said that if he is to be pardoned, it must be a complete release with all rights. “We ask President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to pardon him in the name of humanity. Also, if he is not released, the SJB is ready to launch a democratic struggle in our full capacity until he is released. We will definitely take all possible steps to secure his rights within the framework of democracy,” he added. Meanwhile, the Prisons Department announced that a general amnesty has been granted to prisoners under certain categories in accordance with the powers vested in the President by Article 34 of the Constitution on the occasion of today’s Independence Day. President Rajapaksa has meanwhile decided to grant presidential pardons to 197 prisoners islandwide on the occasion of national Independence Day which falls today. Prisons Media Spokesman and Commissioner Chandana Ekanayake said that the presidential pardon for prisoners had been granted in accordance with the powers vested in the President through Article 34 of the Constitution. Accordingly, 20 inmates of the Mahara Prison, 18 inmates of the Kegalle Prison, 17 inmates of the Welikada Prison, 13 inmates of the Kalutara Prison, 11 inmates each of the Bogambara and Batticaloa Prisons, and 10 inmates of the Wariyapola Prison will be among those released under a special pardon. The Supreme Court, on 12 January 2021, sentenced Ramanayake to four years of rigorous imprisonment over contempt of court. The case was filed by Ven. Magalkande Sudaththa Thera and Air Force officer (Retd.) R. Sunil Perera in 2017 following certain remarks made by Ramanayake, allegedly insulting the reputation of the Judiciary when commenting to the media on 21 August 2017. The case was heard before a three-judge bench composed of Justices Sisira de Abrew (now Retd.), President’s Counsel Vijith Kumara Malalgoda, and Preethi Padman Surasena. Since then, several quarters including both Government and Opposition politicians have been requesting the President to pardon Ramanayake. In July 2021, several local film actors and actresses and artistes, including Dilhani Ekanayake, Anusha Damayanthi, and Arjun Kamalanath, made a joint request from President Rajapaksa to grant a presidential pardon to Ramanayake. Among the said artistes, Damayanthi and Kamalanath were among those who supported Rajapaksa in his presidential campaign in late 2019. Furthermore, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Galle District MP and actress Geetha Kumarasinghe, on 23 April 2021, made an appeal for a presidential pardon for Ramanayake. Speaking in Parliament, she said: “I am not making this appeal for any political reasons. I make this appeal to grant a presidential pardon to Ramanayake for the sake of the cinema industry.” In addition, former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga has also requested the President to grant a presidential pardon for Ramanayake. In a recent letter to Rajapaksa, she said that it was unfortunate that Ramanayake has been condemned to four years of imprisonment due to contempt of court in a backdrop where many other convicts of serious offences have been set free by the current Government.  


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