Widespread disturbances at multiple correctional facilities have left two inmates dead, prompting a prisoners' rights organisation to request UN involvement over alleged human rights violations, while authorities attribute the incidents to drug-related activity and possible coordinated action.
Rioting and violence have erupted simultaneously across several prisons in Sri Lanka, resulting in fatalities and injuries among the inmate population. The unrest has been reported at Negombo, Mahara, Colombo Remand Prison, Kuruwita and the Pallansena Open-Air Correctional Centre, with security measures intensified at other facilities nationwide.
Authorities moved quickly to suppress the disturbances using minimal force tactics. At Kuruwita Prison, where tensions escalated on Thursday night and resumed the following morning, Justice and National Integration Minister Harshana Nanayakkara reported that order was restored through the deployment of tear gas by prison personnel. Significant damage was sustained at the prison hospital during the unrest. Similarly, at Pallansena, where inmates mounted the roof in protest and others threw stones at officers, Police deployed tear gas while security forces including the Special Task Force and military personnel established control by afternoon.
The Government has expressed suspicion that the incidents represent coordinated action. Public Security and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananda Wijepala stated in Parliament that preliminary investigations point to drug-related activities and underworld involvement as immediate triggers, though inquiries continue regarding potential organised planning behind the simultaneous outbreaks.
Meanwhile, the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prisoners has escalated concerns by appealing directly to the UN Resident Coordinator in Sri Lanka. The organisation's letter, dated 7 August, alleged patterns of custodial deaths, assaults, restricted legal access, and inadequate family communication across the affected facilities. The Committee called for UN intervention to ensure inmate protection, medical treatment, independent death investigations, and restored communication channels between prisoners and their legal representatives.
