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Rights of prisoners committee raises concerns over two recent custodial deaths
View(s):By Mimi Alphonsus
Two deaths, one at the Welikada police station and another at the Boossa prison have raised concerns about security in custody.
At Welikada police station, a 25-year-old man was arrested on April 1 on a complaint received by the police. By April 2, he was declared dead after being admitted to the Mulleriyawa National Iinstitute of Mental Health. Police Spokesperson Buddhika Manathunga said that the Nugegoda police will be investigating the incident. The family of the deceased allege that he was tortured prior to his death.
At the Boossa maximum security prison, a 46-year-old suspect who had been in remand since 2022 was found with stab wounds on April 4 in the ward area, said Commissioner General of the Department of Prisons, Gamini Dissanayake. The man was taken to the Galle National Hospital where he was pronounced dead. Notably, the man was found in the ward area where guards are usually present, and especially so in the case of a maximum security facility. The death is being treated as a homicide and the neighbouring Rathgama police are conducting investigations. The Boossa jailer and the Assistant Superintendent of Watareka prison have been appointed to inquire into the incident as well.
Seneka Perera, the Executive Director of the Committee to Protect the Rights of Prisoners said that investigations should not be conducted by officials from the same prison where the incident took place. Given that sometimes prison guards have connections with criminal networks, he said that such an inquiry cannot be considered impartial or unbiased. Mr. Perera alleged that the deceased man had received death threats and should have been given extra security. “Boossa is ‘Maximum Security’ only on their board outside, not inside,” he said.
“Both deaths at Welikada police and at Boossa prison are custodial deaths meaning that the police OIC and prison management are directly responsible,” Mr. Perera added.
The Human Rights Commission said they have launched investigations into both custodial deaths. The National Police Commission said they will take a decision on whether they will investigate the Welikada police custody death at their commission meeting on Tuesday.
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