2ND LEAD (CORRECTION)

All accused acquitted in Udatalawinna Muslim massacre case

[TamilNet, Friday, 24 July 2009, 07:42 GMT]
A five member bench of the Supreme Court Friday acquitted four army personnel including a lieutenant earlier sentenced to death in the Udatalawinna massacre of ten Muslim civilians during December 2001 general elections. In this case earlier eight persons were charged including the then Deputy Defence Minister General Anurudha Ratwatte and his sons Rohan and Chanuka. The court made the acquittal order when it took up the appeal filed by four army officers.

General Ratwatte and his two sons were acquitted by the High Court Trial at Bar held in Kandy. They were charged of aiding and abetting in the murder. Six army officers indicted with the murder were convicted and sentenced to death by the High Court. Subsequently they filed an appeal against conviction and death sentence.

The Supreme Court discharged one of them when it took up the appeal and inquired into the appeal by other four army personnel.

The order in the appeal of four was delivered Friday.