Lahiru Madushanka, the Sri Lankan national who was kept behind bars in the Maldives without a fair trial, for plotting to kill the former President Abdulla Yameen who was voted out in the last Presidential election was brought to Sri Lanka on Thursday.
He was embraced upon arrival by elated family members including his wife, son and mother who were seeing him after over three years.It was believed that the Sri Lankan man who was charged with being a hired sniper in an assassination plot claimed to be masterminded by Yameen’s Vice president Ahmed Adeeb, was framed. He was never told what the charges for his arrest were. A lawyer representing his interests was not given access to speak to him until after several months of his arrest in October 2015. On arrival at Bandaranaike International Airport, he said his coming home feels like a beautiful dream coming true.
Minister Faiszer Mustapha who visited the Maldives on several occasions to secure his release, instructed by President Maithripala Sirisena accompanied Lahiru from the Maldives to Sri Lanka.
He was waiting for his flight back to Colombo in the departure lounge of the Velana International Airport in the Maldives when the Maldivian police - an officer in plain clothes along with four others arrested him. Former Maldives Vice President Adeeb and several others were arrested in connection with the case.
“He was tortured for three days and was held in a maximum security prison in solitary confinement, despite his pleas that he had done no wrong,” his young wife said pleading for justice for the years he lost in prison.
While Lahiru languished in a prison in the Maldives, his father who played a leading role in trying to get his son released in the early days suffered a stroke and was partially paralysed. “His father was looking after us when my husband was put in jail and his illness was a hard blow to our entire family,” she said feeling grateful to him and all those who helped to bring Lahiru safely home.
Amnesty International, Colombo office too helped in trying to establish Lahiru’s innocence to the Maldivian authorities. His interests were represented in the Maldives by Attorney Fareesha Abdulla who fought with prison authorities to meet Lahiru, get hearing dates fixed and successfully get him off solitary confinement.
The four eye-witnesses who earlier testified incriminating Lahiru, later said in court that they testified under duress. Although the case fell apart with that, the law enforcement did not release the Sri Lankan. Days after the new Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was inaugurated a week ago, Lahiru was released from Jail.