Floral tribute to Edward Henry Pedris

Floral tributes were paid at the Edward Henry Pedris Statue in Havelock Town, Colombo, today to mark the 111th anniversary of the execution of national hero Edward Henry Pedris. Pedris was executed by a colonial firing squad on July 7, 1915, at the age of 26 after being wrongly convicted on false treason charges, an event widely regarded as a catalyst for Sri Lanka's independence movement. His parents later built the nearby Isipathanaramaya Temple in his memory. In 2024, the Sri Lankan government posthumously granted him a presidential pardon, formally clearing him of all treason charges. Pix by Nimalsiri Edirisinghe