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Pardon for Duminda: Other death row prisoners continue hunger strike
At the Welikada and Mahara prisons, more than 150 death-row inmates continued their hunger strike for a third straight day yesterday demanding that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa commute their death sentences to life imprisonment.
Another group of prisoners staged a rooftop protest on top of Chapel Ward at the Welikada Prison in solidarity with the hunger strikers.
Duminda Silva leaving the prisons compound after being released under a presidential pardon.
There are currently about 500 inmates at various prisons who are on death row.
The protests came after former parliamentarian Duminda Silva, sentenced to death for murder, was released on a Presidential pardon on Thursday.
Prisons Spokesman Chandana Ekanayake said the group of prisoners engaged in the rooftop protest at Welikada Prison called off their protest and came down last afternoon.
President Rajapaksa has already been sent a list containing the names of 260 prisoners on death row with a recommendation to commute their sentences to life imprisonment, State Minister of Prison Management and Prisoners’ Rehabilitation Lohan Ratwatte told the Sunday Times. “We have already communicated this to the prisoners on hunger strike,” he claimed.
Prisoners have felt justifiably aggrieved by President Rajapaksa’s decision to pardon Duminda Silva on Poson Poya Day, said Senaka Perera, President of the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP). He pointed out that the pardon allowed the ex-MP, who had been on death row for the murder of four persons including former Presidential Advisor Bharatha Lakshman Premachandra, to walk out of prison after less than five years.
“There are other death row inmates who have been in prison for 20 to 25 years. Where is the relief for them?” Mr Perera queried.
The protesting prisoners have several key demands, the CPRP President said. Main among them is the one to commute the death sentences to life imprisonment. They also want the life imprisonment sentence to be reduced to 20 years. Prisoners are also calling for the reinstatement of the process of evaluating the rehabilitative progress of all convicted prisoners every four years.
“Duminda Silva’s pardon yet again highlights how Presidents keep misusing the power vested by the Constitution to grant pardons,” he said.
Meanwhile, the President’s Media Division did not respond to emailed questions on whether President Rajapaksa followed due process when pardoning Mr Silva, and whether he had sought a report from the trial judges, advice of the Attorney General or recommendation of the Minister of Justice. 
Prisoners staging protests amid a tight security cordon