512 prisoners to be released on Independence Day

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has granted a general amnesty for 512 prisoners who have been serving jail terms for minor offences, to mark the Independence Day which falls tomorrow (4).

The amnesty has been granted on the recommendation of  Justice Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva.

“Those who will be 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 in 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.