Activists suspect foul play in Sri Lanka detainees death in Mahara prison

A leading prisoners’ rights organization in Sri Lanka has revealed that the body of an inmate who died a few days ago in the Mahara prison, which is notorious for deaths in custody, has not been presented to his mother -the only living relative- for identification.

Expressing doubts as to whether the death was a murder caused by assault, the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP) had revealed that the deceased individual’s body had not been presented to his mother, who is currently a detainee, for identification.

“There is no one at the deceased inmate’s house to look into this, at least to verify his death or to identify him. This is because the deceased person’s mother is currently in remand prison. The prison has not taken any action in this regard. The mother has not even been allowed to identify the body during the post-mortem examination,” said CPRP Chair Sudesh Nandimal Silva in Colombo.

Describing Mahara Prison as a torture chamber, Nandimal Silva further explained on 25 November that the deceased was one of two members of the same family who had recently been remanded. He added that the other inmate had also sustained injuries.

“There are two inmates in the prison – an uncle and a nephew. The two have been brought to prison as suspects, and one of them has died. Now, the prison is claiming that the other inmate has a broken leg. Prison authorities claim that the two tried to escape, and that during the attempt, one fell and broke his leg, while the other sustained injuries and was hospitalised. They further claim that the one with the broken leg was also taken to the hospital. However, the person with the broken leg is not the most injured. The other person, who they claim has sustained injuries, has already died”.

Recalling the history of murders in the Mahara Prison, Silva expressed doubts during the press briefing as to whether this was a death caused by assault.

“We have serious suspicions about this incident. Both inmates have been assaulted. One has broken his leg, while the other has been fatally assaulted. We suspect that a murder may have been committed here. That is because there are precedents in the Mahara Prison. We have serious suspicions as to whether another murder has taken place in this place.”

The CPRP had emphasized that the absence of a guardian at the deceased individual’s house was not a reason to not conduct an autopsy.

The CPRP is continuing with its campaign to ensure justice for the Mahara Prison massacre, in which eleven inmates were killed in the prison at a time when the deadly Covid-19 pandemic was spreading across the country.

The recent recommendation issued by the Attorney General's Department to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to suspend the relevant investigations had caught the Welisara Magistrate by surprise.