{"id":156894,"date":"2026-06-23T05:54:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:54:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=156894"},"modified":"2026-06-23T05:54:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T12:54:50","slug":"a-letter-to-the-pope-from-sallays-mother","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2026\/06\/23\/a-letter-to-the-pope-from-sallays-mother\/","title":{"rendered":"A letter to the Pope from Sallay’s mother"},"content":{"rendered":"

Courtesy Hiru News<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

Claudia Sallay, the mother of the Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay, who is the former head of the State Intelligence Service, forwarded a letter to Pope Leo XIV today (23).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter requests justice, human dignity, and a compassionate intervention regarding Suresh Sale. Accordingly, arrangements were made to hand over the relevant letter to the Apostolic Nuncio, the representative of the Holy Father in Sri Lanka, at the Vatican Embassy in Colombo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The letter is mentioned below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His Holiness Pope Leo XIV<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Apostolic Palace<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

00120 Vatican City<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

23rd June 2026<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Holiness,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humble Appeal for Justice, Human Dignity, and Compassionate Intervention Regarding Retired Major General Suresh Sallay<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I write to Your Holiness with profound humility, deep respect, and unwavering faith in the moral leadership of the Holy See. I humbly seek your compassionate intervention regarding the continued detention, alleged torture, and public vilification of my son, Retired Major General Suresh Sallay, whose life, dignity, and reputation are being irreparably destroyed before any court of law has determined his guilt or innocence.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My son, Retired Major General Suresh Sallay, is one of Sri Lanka’s most highly decorated senior military officers. During more than thirty-five years of distinguished military service, he received numerous gallantry, campaign, and long-service decorations in recognition of his dedication, leadership, and service to the nation. Throughout his career, and particularly in his senior appointments, he faithfully served under five successive Presidents of Sri Lanka, irrespective of political affiliation, demonstrating unwavering loyalty not to any political party or individual, but to the State and its people. He devoted his life solely to the security and protection of Sri Lanka. Never during his career was he found guilty of misconduct or convicted of any criminal offence. His professional life was built upon discipline, integrity, honour, and selfless service, making the present circumstances all the more painful for our family.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, however, he remains detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act merely as a suspect in an ongoing investigation. He has not been convicted of any offence. No court has found him guilty. The judicial process remains ongoing, and under every principle of justice recognised throughout the civilised world, every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law. Despite this fundamental principle, my son has already been publicly condemned.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Holiness, throughout the many investigations conducted into the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, my son was never identified as a suspect. The Presidential Commission of Inquiry did not identify him as a suspect. The investigation conducted with the assistance of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) did not identify him as a suspect. Reports associated with the Australian Federal Police (AFP) likewise did not identify him as a suspect. Despite years of investigations by both local and international authorities, no official investigative body concluded that my son bore criminal responsibility for those tragic attacks.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet today, before a court has had the opportunity to examine the evidence against him, he is publicly portrayed as the principal architect, the alleged “mastermind”, behind one of the darkest tragedies in Sri Lanka’s history.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is with great sadness that I respectfully bring to Your Holiness’ attention our deep concern regarding the continuing public narrative surrounding my son, which has been actively promoted by Rev. Fr. Jude Rohan Silva and Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando through repeated public statements concerning the Easter Sunday attacks.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a considerable period, these repeated public statements have advanced the allegation that my son was the “mastermind” behind the Easter Sunday attacks despite the fact that judicial proceedings remain ongoing and no court has found him guilty of any offence.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our respectful view, these repeated public statements have significantly influenced public opinion and contributed to sustaining a narrative that presents my son as guilty before the courts have had the opportunity to determine the truth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Given the moral authority enjoyed by priests of the Catholic Church, such statements inevitably influence the thoughts and emotions of many faithful Catholics. The continuing repetition of these allegations has fuelled conspiracy theories, intensified public hostility towards my son, and created an atmosphere in which he has effectively been judged in the court of public opinion before any judicial determination has been made.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is with equal sadness that we note that these public statements have continued over an extended period without any apparent public intervention to discourage the prejudgment of a person who remains presumed innocent under the law. We respectfully believe that this has contributed to the perception that the continuing public narrative has the support or acquiescence of the Church’s leadership, thereby further reinforcing public conviction before trial.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is pertinent to note that the present investigation was initiated following a complaint made by Rev. Fr. Jude Rohan Silva of the Catholic Church and, subsequently, based on a letter which contained allegations by Mr. Azad Maulana, which were submitted by Rev. Fr. Busebaduge Cyril Gamini Fernando.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In these circumstances, I am deeply concerned that certain members including the said two members of the clergy who have provided statements and are witnesses in this matter have continued to conduct regular press briefings and make public pronouncements regarding the case. These statements, made on an almost biweekly basis, appear to advance a narrative that my son is the alleged mastermind behind the Easter Sunday attacks, notwithstanding the fact that the matter remains under investigation and has not been adjudicated by a court of law.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the utmost respect to the clergy concerned and to the Church they represent, I submit that such conduct is inconsistent with the principles of fairness, impartiality, and justice that should guide all persons, particularly those who hold positions of spiritual and moral leadership. It is especially concerning when such public commentary emanates from individuals who are themselves witnesses in the proceedings and are therefore closely connected to the matter under investigation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, Article 13 of the Constitution of Sri Lanka enshrines the fundamental principle that every person is presumed innocent until proven guilty according to law.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Public statements that appear to prejudge the outcome of an ongoing investigation risk undermining this constitutional safeguard, influencing public opinion, and causing irreparable prejudice to the reputation and rights of the individual concerned.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Holiness, I respectfully submit that no individual, regardless of the seriousness of the allegations against him, should ever be publicly condemned before an independent court has spoken.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another matter of profound concern is the apparent conflict of interest surrounding the present investigation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Individuals against whom serious allegations have previously been made, and against whom findings and recommendations have been issued concerning their failure to prevent the Easter Sunday terrorist attacks, negligence in the discharge of their official duties, failures in the handling of intelligence, and shortcomings in the subsequent investigations, are now exercising authority over the very investigation into my son.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is deeply troubling that officials whose own conduct in relation to the Easter Sunday tragedy has itself been questioned are now directing, supervising, or influencing an investigation arising from those very same events.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This creates a serious and unavoidable perception of a conflict of interest.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice requires not only that investigations be fair and impartial, but also that they be manifestly seen to be fair and impartial. Public confidence in the administration of justice is inevitably undermined when those whose own actions and omissions have been the subject of criticism, adverse observations, or recommendations are entrusted with investigating another individual connected with the same events.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is particularly troubling that while these unresolved questions concerning institutional accountability remain, public attention has instead been directed almost exclusively towards portraying my son as the alleged “mastermind” behind the Easter Sunday attacks. The combination of an apparent conflict of interest within the investigative process and an ongoing public campaign declaring his guilt before trial risks undermining confidence in the administration of justice, the independence of the justice system, and the rule of law.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice cannot be delivered through public opinion.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice cannot be determined through rumours, speculation, or sustained public campaigns.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice belongs only in the courts of law.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If the courts, after hearing all the evidence, determine that my son is guilty, we shall respectfully accept that judgment. However, if the courts determine that he is innocent, no judgment will ever restore the honour, reputation, dignity, and life that have already been taken from him through relentless public accusations and character assassination.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An acquittal cannot erase years of humiliation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An acquittal cannot restore a destroyed reputation.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

An acquittal cannot undo the suffering inflicted upon his wife, his children, his elderly mother, and our entire family.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is therefore essential that every person, especially those entrusted with immense moral influence, exercise restraint while judicial proceedings remain before the courts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Holiness, my son has also endured immense physical and psychological suffering while in State custody.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As detailed in communications submitted to the United Nations Special Rapporteurs, he has been subjected to torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment while under detention. Judicial medical assessments have reportedly found evidence of severe psychological trauma consistent with torture and ill-treatment. His health deteriorated to such an extent that he commenced a hunger strike in protest against his treatment and was eventually admitted to the National Hospital, where he continues to receive medical treatment.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This appeal is not made against the Catholic Church. On the contrary, our family has always held the Catholic faith in the highest regard.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My family has deep Catholic roots. I am a devout and faithful Catholic who has lived my entire life according to the teachings of the Church. I was baptised on 24th February 1946 in the Catholic Church in Colombo, Sri Lanka (Certificate of Baptism is attached at Annex A). I belong to the parish of St Joseph’s Church, Nugegoda in Colombo District and attend church regularly. I raised my children with Christian values of compassion, honesty, humility, forgiveness, and love for one’s neighbour. Above all, I have taught them to respect every religion equally and to treat every person, regardless of faith, ethnicity, or background, with dignity, kindness, and compassion.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Catholic faith has long been part of our extended family. My brother-in-law’s sister, the late Rev. Sister Martha Costa of the Holy Cross Convent, Jaffna, dedicated her life to God and to the service of the Church. Her life of faith, sacrifice, and devotion reflected the Christian values that have guided our family for generations. These values profoundly shaped my son’s character and have remained with him throughout his life and distinguished military service.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is therefore especially heart-breaking for our family to witness him being publicly condemned before the courts have spoken.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Easter Sunday attacks brought unimaginable pain and suffering to countless innocent Catholic families. Their grief deserves truth. Their loss deserves justice. Those genuinely responsible must unquestionably be brought before the law.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, justice for victims can never be achieved by condemning someone before a fair and impartial trial has taken place.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice demands truth.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice demands fairness.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice demands impartiality.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Justice demands that no innocent person be sacrificed to satisfy public expectation or political expediency.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your Holiness has consistently reminded the world that every human being possesses an inherent dignity bestowed by God and that justice must always be accompanied by mercy, truth, compassion, and respect for the rule of law.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is in that spirit that I humbly appeal to Your Holiness to use your immense moral authority to encourage that the judicial process in Sri Lanka be allowed to proceed free from prejudice, political influence, public campaigns, and premature declarations of guilt.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I respectfully ask Your Holiness to encourage all religious leaders, public officials, and persons of influence to allow the independent courts of Sri Lanka to determine the truth solely upon the evidence presented before them.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I further humbly appeal to Your Holiness to encourage that every person involved in this matter, particularly those who possess significant moral influence over public opinion, exercise restraint until the judicial process has concluded, so that justice may not only be done but also be seen to be done.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Above all, I humbly beseech Your Holiness to intervene, within your moral and pastoral authority, so that justice may prevail; so that the dignity of my son may be protected; so that due process may be respected; so that torture and inhuman treatment may cease; and so that no individual may ever be condemned before the law has spoken.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also humbly ask Your Holiness to remember my son in your prayers, together with all those who continue to suffer because of the Easter Sunday tragedy. May God guide Sri Lanka towards truth, reconciliation, justice, healing, and lasting peace.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

May Almighty God continue to bless Your Holiness with wisdom, strength, and abundant grace as you shepherd the Universal Church and continue to be a beacon of justice, mercy, peace, and hope for all humanity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With profound respect and filial devotion,<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mrs. Claudia Sallay<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mother of Retired Major General Suresh Sallay<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Courtesy Hiru News Claudia Sallay, the mother of the Major General (Retd) Suresh Sallay, who is the former head of the State Intelligence Service, forwarded a letter to Pope Leo XIV today (23). The letter requests justice, human dignity, and a compassionate intervention regarding Suresh Sale. Accordingly, arrangements were made to hand over the relevant […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-156894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=156894"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156894\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":156895,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/156894\/revisions\/156895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=156894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=156894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=156894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}