Parliamentarians Manusha Nanayakkara and Harin Fernando left for Geneva today to seek international support to secure the release of former MP Ranjan Ramanayake, who is currently serving a sentence on charges of contempt of court.
They claim Ramanayake was issued a harsh verdict by court at the time, as there is no specific sentence under Sri Lankan law for charges of contempt of court.
Speaking to media prior to departure this morning, MP Nanayakkara said court handed a lengthy sentence of 48 months to the former MP.
The Parliamentarian said they were forced to seek assistance from the international community as it is the only option left to make a change in local laws in order to facilitate the release of Ranjan Ramanayake.
The MP said an appeal cannot be filed either while several attempts to seek Presidential pardon were also ignored.
MP Nanayakkara said there are suspicions that Ranjan Ramanayake’s sentence was based on political objectives.
He said under such circumstances going before the United Nations Human Rights Council was the only option.
Parliamentarian Harin Fernando said the move will not pose an international risk to Sri Lanka.
MP Fernando believes former MP Ranjan Ramanayake should not be imprisoned. He said several requests were made to the President to secure his release but to no avail.
Fernando claimed they are not attempting to betray the country, and are only focused on securing justice for Ramanayake.
The Parliamentarian said seeking international support in order to release Ranjan Ramanayake, is a last resort.
