• Representatives of the inmates can pursue secondary legal action, asserting their rights to do so

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya  

The government is expected to make a decision in the coming days regarding the Attorney General’s directive to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to cease further action on the deaths of 11 inmates during the 2020 Mahara Prison incident, Minister Vijitha Herath said.  

On November 29, 2020, inmates at Mahara Prison staged a protest demanding PCR tests for COVID-19 and the transfer of infected prisoners to hospitals for proper treatment. The unrest led to the deaths of 11 inmates, resulting from gunfire by prison officers and the Special Task Force (STF).  

Following this, a legal case was brought before the Welisara Magistrate’s Court. In a ruling on April 26, 2023, Magistrate Thusitha Dhammika Udivavidana declared the killings a crime. The magistrate thereby, ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to arrest the prison officers who were involved in the shooting and to produce them before the court without delay.