The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has issued an overseas travel ban against former army officer Sunil Ratnayake, who was on death row over the Mirusuvil massacre.

The order was issued after taking up for consideration several petitions that had been filed challenging former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s decision to grant a presidential pardon to Ratnayake in March 2020. 

The Supreme Court further granted all parties in the case 08 weeks to file any written submissions and has reserved delivery of the final judgement in the case for thereafter.  

Former army officer Sunil Ratnayake was convicted of the murder of 8 civilians at Mirusuvil in Jaffna in December 2000 and was sentenced to death in the year 2015.

In 2020, then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa pardoned and released Sunil Ratnayake. 

Petitions were filed by the family members of the victims of the Mirusuvil massacre and the Centre for Policy Alternatives challenging the presidential pardon. (Newswire)

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The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka will hear the Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed against former army officer Sunil Ratnayake, who was sentenced to death over the Mirusuvil massacre. 

Petitions have been filed at the Supreme Court challenging the presidential pardon granted to ex-army officer Sunil Ratnayake by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in 2020 and requesting the court to invalidate the decision.

The hearing has been fixed for consideration on January 15, 2025.

The FR Petitions were filed by the family members of the victims of the Mirusuvil massacre, the Centre for Policy Alternatives and the former Commissioner General of the Human Rights Council of Sri Lanka Ambika Satkunanathan.

Former army officer Sunil Ratnayake was convicted of the murder of 8 civilians at Mirusuvil in Jaffna in December 2000 and was sentenced to death by the Colombo High Court in 2015.

He was accused of murdering eight internally displaced refugees, when they had returned to inspect their property in the village of Mirusuvil on 19 December 2000 and subsequently burying them in a mass grave about 16 miles east of Jaffna town.

The Attorney General had filed charges against 5 army soldiers in connection with the incident, after which the court sentenced Sunil Rathnayake to death as sufficient evidence had proven the allegations against him, while the other 4 soldiers were acquitted as there was insufficient evidence to link them to the murders. (Newswire) 

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