HRCSL team to probe Welikada incident

12 November 2012 09:37 pm

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) is preparing to send an investigation team to look into the Welikada prison incident which claimed 27 lives, Human Rights Commissioner Dr. Prathibha Mahanamahewa said yesterday.

The commissioner said an investigation team would be deployed soon to carry out an investigation over the riot. Dr. Mahanamahewa said the HRCSL would investigate the entire incident and issue a report soon.

He also said following the issuance of the report, senior prison officers would be summoned before the Human Rights Commission.

Expressing his views over the prison riot, Dr. Mahanamahewa claimed that the guardians should be held responsible for the incident as they should have looked after the inmates in a proper manner. “The safety of every inmate is under the guardians. However, the guardians have not properly monitored the prison,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dr. Mahanamahewa further observed that the time has come to take structural changes in the prison administration by making speedy arrangements to separate remand prisoners from the hard-core, drug addicted and convicted prisoners.(Lakmal Sooriyagoda)