A Sri Lankan court on Friday sentenced Sarath Fonseka to three years imprisonment. The former army chief accused the brother of the head of state to have ordered the execution of Tamil rebels in the separatist conflict (1977-2009).
The court convicted the former general, principal architect of the victory against the rebellion Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), have violated the laws of emergency "spreading rumors and disturbing public order ". The former army chief accused Gotabhaya Rajapakse, the Defence Secretary and brother of the head of state, of having ordered the execution of Tamil rebels in May 2009. At least 7,000 Tamil civilians were killed during these months of conflict between the army and the rebels, the UN reported.
Several cases
Despite its position as a former military chief, Sarath Fonseka fell out of favor from the government. Today, he argues that the prosecution against him apply only for political purposes. Sarath Fonseka had indeed run against the current President Mahinda Rajapaksa in January 2010 but was arrested shortly after his defeat in the presidential election.
Convicted of bribery in another case of corruption, Sarath Fonseka is serving a sentence of 30 months in prison. A pending case accuses him of having hidden military deserters and used it to his bodyguard during his campaign against the head of state.