President Maithripala Sirisena said a group of leading monks, including Venerable Athuraliye Rathana Thero, had requested clemency for the convicted murderer of Yvonne Jonsson.
The Colombo Gazette reported that the President’s media division statement said that many religious leaders, former Supreme Court judges, lawyers, civil society leaders and youth leaders had made appealed to the President, recommending a Presidential pardon to the murderer, Jude Jayamaha, who was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005.
“Ven Athraliye Rathana Thero, Member of Parliament, played a key role and coordinated in obtaining Presidential pardon for this youth and he had brought the parents and close relations of the youth to meet the President and give a lengthy explanation of the background.”
“Ven Rathana Thero also appealed to the President to consider this in accordance with the Buddhist teachings of compassion.”
Jude Jayamaha was sentenced to death over the 2005 murder of Yvonne Jonsson, who was reportedly on holiday in Sri Lanka when she was beaten to death at a high rise apartment in Colombo.
Sirisena announced last month that he was considering pardoning Jayamaha, saying he had behaved well in prison and called the murder an ‘incident of impatience’.
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