Fresh riots break out in Sri Lankan prisons with deaths and rising tensions

Colombo (AsiaNews) – Tensions surrounding Sri Lanka’s prison system are rising again, with inmates staging simultaneous protests in three different facilities across the country in the past few hours.

The violence began last night at the Welikada Prison, a maximum-security facility, on the outskirts of Colombo, and then spread to the Kuruwita Prison in Ratnapura and the Negombo Correctional Centre (Pallansena).

The violence has already led to three deaths, but there are fears that more may follow.

In recent weeks, several correctional facilities have already been the scene of bloody riots, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries. The unrest stems from long-standing problems associated with the prison system, like corruption and overcrowding.

Concurrently, members of the Prisoners’ Rights Protection Committee, which advocates for prisoners’ rights, have received death threats.

The riots, which began in New Magazine Prison in Borella Thursday night, spread to Kuruwita Prison in Ratnapura, and today to Pallansena Prison in Negombo.

In addition to prison staff, regular police, the Police Special Task Force, and the army have been called in to keep the riots under control.

In addition to the three known fatalities, several people have been hospitalised with injuries sustained in the violence, some of them in serious conditions, this according to a law enforcement statement.

In Negombo Prison (Western Province), riots broke out on 5 July, following clashes between two groups of inmates that escalated, resulting in the deaths of 10 prison officers and 21 inmates.

The violence later spread to Mahara Prison. However, while the Negombo incident was primarily related to drug trafficking, the riots in Mahara, Colombo, and Pallansena raise questions about whether it was a conspiracy or sabotage rather than drug-related.

Speaking in parliament today, Public Security Minister Ananda Wijeyapala confirmed that the clashes that began in Negombo had spread to Pallansena prison, explaining that, based on intelligence information and investigations, it is thought that it was a planned conspiracy, adding that the immediate cause lies in drug trafficking and underworld activities.

The minister went on to say that the necessary steps will be taken to control the situation to avoid further loss of life, and that a full investigation into the matter will be conducted.

For the minister, activities related to drug trafficking and organised crime are among the immediate factors identified so far, adding that the authorities have already adopted measures to counter such influences in the prison system.

The unrest at the New Magazine Prison, he said, began last night when some 40 inmates reportedly escaped from a ward and engaged in disorderly behaviour. Prison officers, assisted by the Special Task Force, subsequently brought the situation under control.

During the mayhem, one inmate died and 10 were wounded; the latter are now undergoing treatment at the National Hospital, the minister said.

In a statement sent to AsiaNews yesterday, the Prisoners’ Rights Protection Committee reports that letters containing serious death threats have been sent to its members.

“We wonder if there is some nefarious activity behind the ongoing unrest in the prisons. Overcrowding has increased; it is not a problem that arises from overcrowding. We have doubts whether it is something that is being deliberately created,” said Sudesh Nandimal Silva, the Prisoners’ Rights Protection Committee convener, at a press conference today.