MP Mujibur claims Negombo Prison unrest could have been avoided

Opposition MP Mujibur Rahman has questioned the government over a statement made by a prison official, claiming that the Negombo Prison unrest could have been prevented if orders had been issued on time. Addressing Parliament today, Rahman highlighted the official’s remark: “It could have been nipped in the bud. Only if we had been given orders to stop the incident. Prisoners are also human.” Rahman said an incident that could have been easily prevented eventually escalated into a clash before being halted. “Why were decisions not taken to nip it in the bud? Who failed to take decisions and issue orders? This incident occurred due to the failure to act,” he said. The Opposition MP further pointed out that similar incidents have occurred in other prisons in Sri Lanka, stressing this was not the first. “Your national policy has two pages on prison overcrowding and solutions to this issue. The Justice Minister has been aware of this problem since 2024. Why were necessary measures not taken? That is why this issue has now arisen,” Rahman said. He emphasized that the prison official’s statement confirms the incident could have been prevented, questioning why authorities failed to act. Revealing that a group of foreign inmates had been moved to different prisons following the first clash on Sunday, Rahman asked why unruly inmates involved in the incident were not also transferred to prevent escalation. (Newswire)