COLOMBO, Feb. 11 (Xinhua) -- The Gampaha High Court Trial-at-Bar in Sri Lanka on Wednesday sentenced 12 individuals to death after finding them guilty over the 2022 murder of Amarakeerthi Athukorala, then a member of parliament, and his security officer.
The ruling followed an extended trial in which a total of 42 people had been indicted in connection with the killings.
In addition to the death sentences, the court imposed six-month prison terms, suspended for five years, on four other individuals. Another 23 accused were acquitted by the court.
The charges stem from events that unfolded during the nationwide unrest on May 2022. According to reports, the parliamentarian and his security officer had opened fire at an angry mob of protesters and critically injured two people while they were blocking his vehicle. The MP and his security were later found murdered later that day inside a nearby building. ■
