The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has issued a report containing its findings and recommendations concerning the violent incidents that occurred at Negombo Prison on 5 and 6 July 2026, which reportedly resulted in the deaths of 10 Prison Emergency Response Tactical Force officers and 22 inmates. More than 100 officers and inmates were also reported to have sustained injuries.

In accordance with the powers vested in the Commission under Section 14 of the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act, No. 21 of 1996, the Commission initiated an own-motion investigation into the incident under Complaint No. HRC/SUOMOTU/05/2026. As part of the investigation, officers from the Commission’s Head Office visited Negombo Prison and conducted an on-site inspection. They also visited Negombo Hospital and the National Hospital of Sri Lanka in Colombo to record statements from prison officers and inmates who had sustained injuries and were receiving treatment at those hospitals.

Following the incident, inmates held at Negombo Prison were transferred to several other prisons across the country, namely Welikada, Angunakolapelessa, Boossa, Dumbara, Wariyapola, Kuruwita, Jaffna, Batticaloa, Monaragala, Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa. Officers from the Commission’s Head Office, together with officers from the relevant regional offices, visited all these prisons and recorded statements from the inmates who had been transferred from Negombo Prison.

In addition, the Commission summoned 22 officers from the Department of Prisons, the Sri Lanka Police and the Police Special Task Force to obtain statements in connection with the incident. Following an extensive investigation, the Commission issued its report, including its recommendations, on 27 October 2026. Copies of the report have been forwarded to the Ministers in charge of the Ministries of Defence, Public Security, and Justice and National Integration, as well as the Secretary to the Ministry of Justice and National Integration and the Commissioner General of Prisons.

The report has also been published on the Commission’s official website: www.hrcsl.lk.

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