Mirusuvil massacre: Petition against presidential pardon by Gotabaya fixed for consideration

The relevant petitions were filed by the family members of the victims of the Mirusuvil massacre

The Fundamental Rights (FR) petitions filed against the presidential pardon granted to former army officer Sunil Ratnayake, who was on the death row over the Mirusuvil massacre, has been fixed for consideration on January 15, 2025, by the Supreme Court.

The petitions seek to invalidate the decision taken by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to pardon former army officer Sunil Ratnayake, who was convicted of the murder of 8 civilians at Mirusuvil in Jaffna in December 2000 and was sentenced to death in the year 2015.

The relevant 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 (HRCSL) Ambika Satkunanathan.

However, the court also granted time for the respondents of the petitions to file objections.