Rights group demands answers over three missing inmates after prison unrest
COLOMBO – A prisoners’ rights organization has called on the government to immediately disclose the whereabouts of three inmates who reportedly went missing following the recent unrest at the Negombo Prison, raising concerns over their safety.
Addressing a media briefing, Sudesh Nandimal Silva, Convenor, Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners, said there has been no official information regarding the fate of the three prisoners since the violent incidents that occurred at the prison on July 5 and 6.
According to Silva, the missing inmates have been identified as Lakmal Sirinanda, Amalan Indika and Veniswela Prajayan.
He claimed that Lakmal Sirinanda’s wife was denied permission to visit him when she went to the prison on both days of the unrest, while the names of the three inmates do not appear on official lists of prisoners transferred to other prisons.
Silva also alleged that inmates transferred following the disturbances had been subjected to assaults in other prisons, claiming that three transferred prisoners had since died.
He further alleged that when officials of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) visited Welikada Prison, prison authorities prevented them from meeting the transferred inmates.
“These developments raise serious concerns as to whether the missing prisoners were injured during the unrest or whether something more serious has occurred,” Silva said.
He also alleged that prison officers had assaulted inmates after they were returned from hospital following treatment.
Silva said complaints have been lodged with several authorities, including the Commissioner General of Prisons, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the Ministry of Justice and three United Nations human rights-related bodies, seeking investigations into the matter.
The Prisoners’ Rights Protection Group urged the government to immediately clarify whether the three missing inmates are alive and disclose their whereabouts.
-ENCL
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