COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, May 20 (UPI) -- The president of Sri Lanka Sunday ordered the release of Sarath Fonseka, a former general who was also a political rival.
President Mahinda Rajapaska signed the paperwork that will allow Fonseka to go free more than two years after he was sent to prison for corruption in the wake of his unsuccessful bid for the presidency.
No reason for the early release was given, although Britain's The Guardian said it was likely aimed at quelling rising criticism of Rajapaska's human rights record. The president has plans to host some key foreign officials this summer and plans to travel to the Summer Olympics in London.
The BBC said human-rights activists and the U.S. government have considered Fonseka a political prisoner and called for his release. But he has also been criticized for his role in atrocities committed in 2009 during fighting with the Tamil Tigers rebels.
Fonseka could also complicate Sri Lanka's political picture. His political party holds seven of the 225 seats in Parliament and his return to politics could further divide the opposition, The Guardian said.
