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Badulla’s attacked prisoners’ relatives urge transfer

20 Dec 2021

BY Pamodi Waravita Relatives of four inmates who had allegedly been attacked by other inmates at the Badulla Prison on 10 December have written to the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), requesting an immediate transfer of the attacked suspects to another prison to ensure their safety. “On 10 December, at the time of distribution of dinner, due to the sudden brutal attacks by fellow prisoners, four prisoners sustained severe injuries and had been admitted to hospital and were treated for five days,” the complaint filed at the HRCSL by relatives of the affected inmates noted. Relatives of the affected inmates who spoke to The Morning yesterday (19) said that the inmates had also allegedly been called “ISIS terrorists” when they were attacked. The four inmates are part of a total of nine suspects who were transferred to the Badulla Prison in July 2019 after they were arrested under the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary) Provisions Act No. 48 of 1979 following the Easter Sunday terror attacks. Furthermore, the relatives alleged that when they had initially tried to complain to the HRCSL, they were told that “everything is fine”. A written complaint has been filed with the HRCSL on 16 December. From the four suspects who were attacked, one had undergone surgery due to a broken jaw whilst another had needed 13 stitches. The other two had several torn tissues and had suffered heavy blows to the stomach. From the five remaining suspects, one who is a cancer patient, had fainted when they had tried to run away from the attack. He was admitted to hospital to treat an injured leg. Thus, the relatives who spoke to us stressed that an immediate transfer of the suspects is required as both the relatives and the inmates are living in fear of another possible attack. In the long term, the relatives hope that their cases will be expedited. In a media statement on 11 December, Prisons Spokesperson Chandana Ekanayake said that five suspects were admitted to the Badulla Hospital and that the Prisons Department is conducting an investigation into the matter.


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