The former Army Chief, who went on from being a war hero to a presidential challenger to a convict in a short span of time, was greeted to tumultuous cheers from a large gathering of supporters as he stepped out of the prison premises.
Two years after he had taken on Mahinda Rajapaksa, Fonseka appeared out of the prison with his spirits undented and did not shy away from calling himself a victim of "vendetta".
"I will not betray the people who stood behind me. I will save the country. The people will correct the injustice caused to me... I was a victim of a vendetta," he declared as he stepped out of the gates of the main Welikada prison.
His release came two days after Rajapaksa signed orders to free the 61-year-old from prison where he was serving a three year term in connection with what is known as the 'white flag' case in which he was convicted of causing public disaffection against the state for saying that the defence establishment had ordered the killings of LTTE cadres who had surrendered with white flags.
Amid loud cheers and sounds of firecrackers, Fonseka said he was undaunted by the threat of incarceration.
"I will sacrifice my life to serve the people of this country. Even if they put me in prison for 10 years, I will not stop performing my duty," he told his jubilant supporters.
In the 28 months since he was arrested soon after losing to Rajapaksa in the 2010 presidential election, local and international pressure had mounted on the Rajapaksa government to free him.
The US has even recognised Fonseka's status as a political prisoner and US officials had time and again asked the Rajapaksa government to release him. (MORE)