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Sri Lanka suspends Fonseka court martial
COLOMBO - Sri Lanka's court of appeal on Monday suspended a court martial probing ex-army chief and defeated presidential candidate Sarath Fonseka who is charged with engaging in politics while in uniform. The appeal court ordered the military hearing against Fonseka that began in March to halt its work until a decision has been made on the validity of the legal proceedings.Fonseka, who was defeated at January presidential elections by the incumbent, Mahinda Rajapakse, was arrested soon after the polls and charged with engaging in politics before he quit the army in November. He also faces a second court martial on charges of corrupt military procurements. He says both sets of charges are part of a political vendetta. Fonseka last year led the military to victory over Tamil Tiger rebels, ending decades of ethnic conflict on the island, but he and Rajapakse later fell out. He remains detained at Colombo's naval headquarters, from where he contested parliamentary elections in April, winning a seat in the 225-member assembly. The suspension of the first court martial is a big victory for General Fonseka,' fellow legislator Tiran Alles told AFP. Now that we have this decision we will file another appeal to suspend the second court martial.' A court martial hearing scheduled for Tuesday was cancelled because it clashed with a sitting of parliament, a military source said, adding that Fonseka would attend the assembly. He was briefly released from military custody for the opening of parliament on April 22 and vowed he would use the floor of the House to campaign for freedom and democracy. They want to convict me and send me to jail because that is the only way to stop me from coming to parliament,' he told AFP by telephone when the parliament opened. I will not remain silent. I will keep up my fight.' The arrest and detention of Fonseka drew angry protests which have since fizzled out. His political allies during the presidential election campaign have also split and weakened the country's opposition. Fonseka, the only four-star general to have served in the Sri Lankan military, has filed several cases in both the appeal court and the supreme court challenging the legality of his arrest. He has also petitioned the Supreme Court challenging Rajapakse's re-election, alleging the vote was rigged a charge the government denies. Rajapakse, who has a firm grip on power in Sri Lanka, has been accused by political opponents and international human rights groups of suppressing dissent since his resounding re-election. Posted by: Steve White 2010-05-04 |
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