5 February 2020 12:10 am
Pic by Nisal Baduge
A total of 512 prisoners who have been serving jail terms for minor offences were released after President Gotabaya Rajapaksa granted a general amnesty for them in view of the Independence Day which fell yesterday.The amnesty has been granted on the recommendation of the Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Legal Reforms Nimal Siripala de Silva.
“Those who were released have been serving jail terms after being convicted for minor offences such as theft, breach of trust and drunken driving. No one imprisoned on conviction for major offences such as rape, robbery, grave sexual abuse and soliciting bribe is on the list,” the President’s Media Division said.
The amnesty will apply only to those prisoners who were actually in prison on January 31, this year.