Colombo (AsiaNews) – The trial of General Sarath Fonseka has cast a shadow on President Rajapaksa’s administration, already blamed for undermining democracy by changing the constitution to enhance the powers of the presidency. Last Friday, a court martial convicted Fonseka for “disgraceful conduct” in military procurements during the war against Tamil Tiger (LTTE) rebels, and sentenced him to three years in prison. The president has not yet signed the sentence, but the opposition and human rights activists have already protested against the outcome and accused the government of manipulating the court case.

In a press release, the opposition party Jantha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) said that the court martial and the trial were biased, and in violation of national law and natural justice, that all those who believe in justice should reject the court’s decision.

For the JVP, the government wants to eliminate Fonseka from political life, by using false charges against him. At the same time, it is doing nothing against “thieves and hoodlums who steal and embezzle billions in public monies”, whilst “cuddling former separatist leaders responsible for the death of thousands of people by granting them more privileges.”

In a public statement, the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) said, “A court-martial manipulated by a political regime is a threat not only to the individual concerned but also to all the citizens of the country.”

For the Hong Kong-based organisation, a trial of this kind, motivated by political considerations, is akin to the methods used by Stalin and Hitler to eliminate members of the opposition.

As he waits to see whether the verdict is upheld or not on 28 September, Fonseka issued a statement in which he rejected the accusations accepted by the court.

Yesterday, Anura Kumara Dissanayake, a spokesperson for Fonseka’s Democratic National Alliance, said that a formal plea to the civilian Court of Appeal would be made because of flaws in the military trial.

“There is no justice in the country and we can't have any faith in the judiciary, but we will make a formal appeal as a matter of routine," he said in Colombo.  

Fonseka is a former army commander who ran as the DNA candidate in last January’s presidential elections. He has been under arrest since 8 February.

After his defeat by Rajapaksa, the authorities accused him of trying to kill the president and organise a coup d’état.

A key player in the defeat of the Tamil Tiger separatist movement, Fonseka is the only former general and army officer who agreed to cooperate with a United Nations tribunal to shed light on alleged war crimes committed by Sri Lankan troops on Tamil civilians.