Sri Lankan opposition leader Ranil Wickramasinghe on Tuesday requested President Mahinda Rajapaksa to release the former Army chief, Sarath Fonseka, from prison and restore his military honours. In a letter addressed to Mr. Rajapaksa, Mr. Wickramasinghe urged him to invoke his presidential powers and order the release of Mr. Fonseka.
Mr. Fonseka, who unsuccessfully contested the January presidential election as the common opposition candidate against Mr. Rajapaksa, was convicted a few days ago by a military court on charges of irregularities in military purchases and sentenced to 30 months in jail.
Earlier, on the basis of recommendations of another military tribunal that found him guilty of indulging in politics while in uniform, Mr. Fonseka was stripped of all his ranks and pension.
The recommendations of both the tribunals were approved by Mr. Rajapaksa in his capacity as the supreme commander of the armed forces. There have been suggestions from political managers of the President that if Mr. Fonseka makes a formal request for revocation of the punishments, Mr. Rajapaksa could consider it.
Mr. Fonseka and the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) headed by him have made it known that they would not seek pardon from Mr. Rajapaksa. They have questioned the legal validity of the military tribunals and have accused the President of indulging in political vendetta. The request from the opposition leader came close on the heels of a petition launched by the opposition parties for a signature campaign.
