The family of former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Suresh Sallay has appealed to Pope Leo XIV to intervene over his continued detention and deteriorating health while in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
The appeal was submitted on Tuesday (23) through the Apostolic Nuncio to Sri Lanka, the Vatican’s representative in the country.
Sallay has been in CID custody as part of investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. He was transferred to the National Hospital in Colombo after launching a hunger strike while in detention and has remained hospitalized for more than two weeks.
In their appeal, family members sought the Pope’s intervention on humanitarian grounds.
The move comes amid increasing public discussion over Sallay’s case, with several members of Sri Lanka’s Catholic clergy having recently commented on his detention and health during media briefings. (Newswire)