Responding to reports that two prisoners have died after being transferred from Negombo prison following violence earlier this week that left at least 28 people dead including at least seven prison officials, Babu Ram Pant, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia, said:
“The reports emerging about these deaths and the allegations of torture and other ill-treatment of other inmates transferred from Negombo are deeply alarming. The authorities have a responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of these prisoners. An immediate investigation must be carried out into the circumstances of all deaths, and the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka must be given full access to the inmates to check on their well-being. It is paramount that lawyers are able to visit their clients in detention, and family members are allowed to see loved ones. Anyone requiring medical attention should receive it without delay.
“The government has announced that a committee would investigate the clashes in Negombo. We urge that the probe is impartial, independent and transparent, and the circumstances behind what led to the fatal use of force are established. This tragic episode again underscores the chronic issues in Sri Lanka’s penal system. Following a visit only last month, the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture again sounded the alarm over prolonged pretrial detention, overcrowding and inadequate conditions in prisons. Their statement also highlighted the lack of any meaningful improvement in conditions since their previous visit seven years ago. The authorities’ continued failure to address these longstanding problems only makes prison violence more likely and endangers the safety of prisoners and staff alike.”
Background
Over July 5 and 6, clashes inside Negombo prison claimed the lives of at least 28 people, including at least seven prison officials, and injured more than 100 people.
On July 6, the Sri Lankan government announced that a three-person committee would investigate the violence at Negombo prison.
On July 8, local media reported the death of an inmate transferred to Boossa High Security Prison from Negombo, following a “sudden illness.” On the same day, another inmate transferred to Agunukolapelessa prison from Negombo prison also died. The Committee to Protect Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) alleged that transferred prisoners have also been subjected to torture and other ill-treatment.
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) expressed concern over the inmates’ torture allegations and released a statement directing the Commissioner General of Prisons to protect inmates and ensure the Commission is able to access prisons.
An HRCSL Rapid Response Unit that visited Welikada Prison on the night of July 7 was denied access.
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