The Jana Aragalaya Alliance says it intends to file appeals against the death sentences imposed on 12 defendants in connection with the murder of former Parliamentarian Amarakeerthi Athukorala and his security officer.

Executive Committee member Nuwan Bopage made this announcement at a press conference held in Colombo by a group of Aragalaya activists.

Bopage stated that the “real killers” and those who were the “masterminds” behind the circumstances that led to the incident remain at large. He alleged that a repressive political climate created by the Rajapaksa–Ranil alliance laid the groundwork for such tragic events.

The Alliance further claimed that the implementation of the law in relation to other acts of violence during the Aragalaya period has been selective and politically biased.

They also criticised what they described as the weak intervention of the Attorney General’s Department over the attack on the Galle Face protest site on 09 May 2022. According to the group, individuals including Sanath Nishantha, Johnston Fernando and Namal Rajapaksa have not been made accountable through a fair and comprehensive investigation.

The activists further alleged that while the Government has moved swiftly to arrest and prosecute young people accused of stealing items such as a bedsheet from the Presidential Secretariat, those who led attacks on the protest movement continue to receive protection.