The Supreme Court on 7 October upheld the death sentence imposed on Geegana Gamage Amarasiri, better known as Julampitiya Amare, by the Tangalle High Court following his conviction for murder.
Amare’s lawyers had appealed seeking his acquittal and release, but the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal without a hearing, confirming the original sentence. The ruling was delivered by a bench comprising Justices Janak de Silva, Sobitha Rajakaruna, and Sampath Wijeratne.
The Katuwana Shooting
According to case records, on 15 June 2012, Julampitiya Amare, together with a group of armed men, stormed a Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) meeting held at the home of party member L. R. Sarath in Katuwana and opened fire at the crowd.
The attack killed 50-year-old JVP member Ederimannala G. Malani and 18-year-old Nimantha Heshan Jayasena, who had no political affiliation, while several others sustained injuries. Among those present was the current Minister of Health and Mass Media, Dr Nalinda Jayatissa, who narrowly escaped harm.
Eyewitness L. R. Sarath told investigators that Julampitiya Amare and his group arrived on five motorbikes and began shooting indiscriminately. “The gunman was Amare — I recognised him,” he said in his statement, adding that the attackers also assaulted attendees with clubs and poles before fleeing.
Although four police teams were reportedly appointed to investigate, none had gone to Amare’s home village of Julampitiya. Meanwhile, the government deployed the military and the Special Task Force in Katuwana, Julampitiya, and Middeniya, claiming possible unrest from JVP supporters following the shooting.
At the time, Media Centre for National Security spokesman Lakshman Hulugalle told the press that the attack had been carried out by a group that had recently broken away from the JVP, distancing the government from the incident. Government MP Rohitha Abeygunawardena made similar comments at a public rally.
However, the JVP strongly rejected that version, directly accusing the government — not the breakaway group, now known as the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) — of responsibility for the attack. The JVP carried out huge protest campaigns demanding the government to arrest Amare.
A Long Criminal Trail
Julampitiya Amare, a notorious underworld figure from the Hambantota region, had long been linked to a series of violent crimes. He was also a key participant in the 2002 riot at Tangalle Prison, during which inmates took officers hostage.
It was widely reported that during the riot, then Opposition Leader and current President Mahinda Rajapaksa personally went to the prison with then Internal Affairs Minister John Amaratunga to calm tensions. Rajapaksa reportedly called out, “Amare… Amare… It’s me, Mahinda — come out,” convincing Amare to surrender peacefully.
Police initially failed to arrest Amare after the Katuwana shooting. Four months later, he surrendered to court through his lawyer and was subsequently remanded.
Trial and Conviction
A suspect identification parade related to the killings was held before the Walasmulla Magistrate’s Court on 22 June 2012. Three witnesses identified Julampitiya Amare as one of the attackers.
After a seven-year trial, Tangalle High Court Judge R. S. S. Sapuwidha found Julampitiya Amare guilty of the murders of the two individuals and the attempted murder of several others, sentencing him to death.
At the time of sentencing, Amare was already facing several other charges, including multiple counts of murder and involvement in the Tangalle Prison riot. He was also serving a 40-year prison sentence for another offence.
The High Court judge ordered that the death penalty be carried out by hanging at a place and time determined by the President, and that the convict be detained at the Welikada Prison until the execution is carried out.
