Supreme Court says the prosecutors failed to prove the charges without reasonable doubt

Five member-bench led by Supreme Court judge TB Weerasuriya ruled that the Attorney General has failed to prove the charges without reasonable doubt.

Sub Inspector of Police (SI) SJayampathi Karunasena and residents of the area DM Sepala Dissanayake, MA Samee and RM Premananda were acquitted and released on Friday.

Suspended police officer Jayampathi Karunasena was in charge of Bandarawela police crime branch at the time of the attack.

Five accused were sentenced to death in July 2003 by a Trail-at-Bar in Colombo High Court for killing nearly 30 Tamil youths in a rehabilitation camp in Bindunuwewa, Bandarawela.

Conduct of police

Sub-Inspector of Police Tyronne Roger Ratnayake has earlier been released by the Supreme Court on the grounds of lack of sufficient evidence.

Late Judge Ambepitiya heavily criticised the conduct of police

27 detainees were killed and 14 more were injured in an attack on 25 October 2000 to the camp where former LTTE members, mostly teenagers, were held.

Sentencing five accused out of more than 40, High Court Judge Sarath Ambepitiya heavily criticised the conduct of the police in dealing with what began as a minor clash, but degenerated into a full scale massacre.

"When the victims went running to policemen seeking protection, they were fired at by the police," Judge Ambepitiya said.

The attack was internationally condemned. Saying he was “profoundly distressed” United Nations General Secretary Kofi Annan called on Sri Lanka to conduct an impartial inquiry into the massacre.