Image Courtesy of the CEPOL/EU
Sri Lanka’s National Authority for the Protection of Victims and Witnesses of Crime has been urged to immediately intervene to safeguard inmates who became victims and eyewitnesses during a wave of prison unrest that swept through five major facilities between July and early August.
The appeal, issued on 21 August 2026 to Authority Chairman Vikum Athula Kaluarachchi, warns that detainees who survived the clashes — and who witnessed alleged assaults, custodial killings, and post‑riot torture — now face grave risks inside the very institutions meant to protect them.
A deadly month inside Sri Lanka’s prisons
The letter recounts violent incidents at Negombo, Mahara, Colombo New Magazine, Kuruwita, and Pallansena prisons, which collectively left:
- 34 inmates dead
- More than 100 injured
Following the unrest, authorities transferred many detainees to other prisons. According to the Committee to Protect Prisoners’ Rights, these transferred inmates were then subjected to physical torture, harassment, and intimidation by prison officials in their new locations.
A key eyewitness, Navod Dilshan, recently released on bail, publicly alleged that a prisoner who died at Colombo New Magazine Prison was fatally assaulted by prison officers. He further claimed that numerous inmates — including the deceased — were subjected to severe beatings.
Families of transferred prisoners have echoed these concerns, reporting ongoing torture and harassment.
Legal rights ignored, the letter says
The appeal stresses that these inmates are both victims of crime and crucial witnesses, and therefore entitled to full protection under the Victims and Witnesses of Crime Assistance and Protection Act No. 10 of 2023.
It cites key provisions:
- Section 3(1) — Victims must be treated with dignity, protected from harm, and given medical and psychological care.
- Section 9 — Witnesses must be treated fairly, protected from threats, and allowed to give evidence freely and voluntarily.
- Section 27 — Victims and witnesses have the right to apply for protection.
The letter warns that these rights are being violated because detainees remain under the control or influence of officers accused of torture and misconduct.
This situation, it argues, creates severe risks:
- Further physical or psychological abuse
- Threats, intimidation, coercion
- Retaliation for giving evidence
- Suppression of voluntary testimony
- Risk of continued torture
- Compromised credibility of witness statements
Call for immediate intervention
The letter urges the National Authority to take urgent steps to ensure the safety and independence of victim‑witnesses, including:
- Confidential legal access for detainees, without interference
- Protection of their right to complain and testify without fear of reprisals
- Implementation of safeguards under Section 28(1), including:
- Ensuring personal safety
- Transferring detainees — with their consent — to safer facilities
The appeal argues that without immediate action, inmates who witnessed the violence may be silenced, endangered, or coerced, undermining both justice and accountability.
The request places renewed pressure on the state to uphold its obligations under the 2023 Act and to ensure that prison violence — already a national crisis — does not escalate into a deeper human rights catastrophe.