Two inmates hanged on the roof of a prison in Sri Lanka to receive pardon

(PTI) Colombo, Tal. November 11, 2019, Monday

A few days after President Maithripala Sirisena granted his death sentence to a murderer and high-ranking murderer, two other prisoners of the gallows went to the jail to seek justice and forgiveness.

Judd Jaymahan, who was sentenced to death for murdering his Swedish female friend in 2005, was acquitted on Saturday, just a week before Sirisena resigned from his position.

As a result, two inmates sentenced to life imprisonment in the Velikada jail went to the roof of the jail on Monday to seek justice and forgiveness. He also demanded an apology for himself, officials said without giving the names of both prisoners. Several other prisoners also went on hunger strike to fulfill their demands.

Sirisena, who stepped down from the post after the November 16 presidential election in which he is not a candidate, said last month that he was planning to pardon Jaimah because he had been jailed for 19 years because of his good behavior and his last patience.

A 19-year-old female friend, Vioni Johnson, was killed in a Colombo rich man's flat after a brawl. During the trial, the court was told that 64 pieces of Pidita's skull had been cut. Jaymah was earlier sentenced to 12 years. He then appealed against the prison sentence, which was dismissed. He was eventually hanged. The Supreme Court also upheld the sentence.