Sri Lankan president grants amnesty to 432 prisoners for Vesak

COLOMBO, April 29 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena granted amnesty to 432 prisoners on Sunday in view of Vesak festival celebrated by the Buddhists in the country, a spokesman here said on Sunday.

Spokesman for the Department of Prisons, Thusara Upuldeniya told Xinhua the president granted amnesty for the prisoners convicted of minor offences.

The spokesman said the prisoners were held in 29 prisons in the country.

"The president did it in keeping with the power vested in him under the Sri Lankan Constitution. Most of these people were in jail because of their inability to pay fines imposed on them by courts. The fines were waived off enabling them to get free," Upuldeniya said.

The Sri Lankan president grants such relief to prisoners every year as a tradition on special occasions such as Vesak, the Independence Day and the National New Year. Enditem