Premadasa has made this observation on his Twitter account. He has stated, “I condemn the President’s decision to pardon Yvonne’s killer. As someone whose father was murdered, I understand the family’s grief. We cannot be bystanders to violence, especially against women. As President I will never abuse the power of pardon.”
Jayamaha was sentenced to death for brutally murdering 19 year old Swedish-Sri Lankan national Yvonne Johnson at the Royal Park condominium in June 2005.
Meanwhile, National Peoples Power (NPP) presidential candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake in a statement has said the President’s decision was unfair, unlawful and unjustifiable.
However, Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) presidential candidate Gotabaya Rajapaksa is yet to announce his opinion about the presidential pardon to a murder convict.
