Sajith calls on President to issue unconditional pardon for Ranjan

Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa, while thanking the President for pardoning former Samagi Jana Balawegaya MP Ranjan Ramanayake, called on President Ranil Wickremesinghe to pardon him unconditionally. 

“I thank the President for pardoning Ranjan Ramanayake who is a humanitarian and a true representative of the people. However, he has only received a conditional pardon,” Premadasa said.

President Wickremesinghe has granted pardon on the condition that Ramanayake should not make any statement critical or derogatory of the entire Judiciary in future, a release from the President’s Media Division said. 

The popular actor and politician was convicted over contempt of court charges and sentenced to four years of rigorous imprisonment in January 2021 over a statement made about the country’s Judiciary. 

Ramanayake received a conditional pardon from President Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday and was released from the Welikada Prison. Large crowds, as well as friends and acquaintances of the politician turned actor, were seen gathered to welcome him. Ramanayake was led out from the prison premises amidst chants of ‘Ranja! Ranja!’ by those gathered. 

“Today we, along with the whole country, are ecstatic about his release. But we ask the President to grant him an unconditional pardon allowing him to once again serve the country as a representative of the people,” Premadasa said. 

Following his release, Ramanayake visited the Gangaramaya Temple to evoke the blessings of the triple gem and then held a press briefing along with Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa at the latter’s office in Colombo where he said he intends to remain independent.