Who’s Afraid Of The Prison Riot Report?

Some of the prisoners who were allegedly massacred at the Welikada Prison in Colombo

By Ashanthi Warunasuriya-Wednesday, February 17, 2016

The 2012 Welikada prison riot which left 27 dead and many more injured was a horrific incident of human rights violation that became the subject of intense discussion both locally and internationally. Today, it has once again come under the spotlight since the law has not yet been enforced against the culprits even though the truth behind the incident has already been uncovered.

Under the Yahapalanaya government, a committee was appointed to investigate the incident. The committee has already handed their report over to the government, but due to some unknown reason, it has not yet been made public. The issue became a hot topic once again after death threats were made against one Suresh Nandimal, an eye witnesses to the incident who is also a convenor of the Committee for Protecting the Rights of Prison Inmates. Nandimal is a main witness in the incident and insider sources revealed that several other personnel including prison officers had given evidence to the crime.

Recalling the unnerving experience he suffered recently, Nandimal said that four men had met him inside a shop in Moratuwa around 8.40 pm and told him to stop pursuing the matter any further. They had warned him that his life would be in danger if they were to go to jail. Members of the Army, Police and several jailors were involved in the prison incident. Pointing out that he could recognise the culprits if he saw them again, Suresh says that scare tactics will not stop his quest for justice. Alleging that all these had happened under Gotabhaya Rajapaksa’s orders, Nandimal further requests the government not to use the incident for political leverage.

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