The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has directed the Commissioner General of Prisons to take immediate measures to protect inmates and ensure full cooperation with the Commission’s ongoing investigation into the violence at Negombo Prison and subsequent incidents reported at other prison facilities.

The Commission expressed serious concern over allegations that inmates transferred from Negombo Prison to several other prisons had been subjected to torture and other forms of ill-treatment. It also raised concern over the reported death of an inmate in the custody of Welikada Prison officials and the denial of access to an HRCSL Rapid Response Unit that visited Welikada Prison on the night of 7 July 2026.

Reaffirming its statutory powers under the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka Act, No. 21 of 1996, the HRCSL instructed the Commissioner General to ensure unrestricted access for HRCSL officers to all prisons, protect inmates from reprisals, preserve all relevant evidence, conduct prompt and impartial investigations into the allegations, and fully cooperate with the Commission’s investigation.

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HRCSL Letter to Prison Commissioner General on 8 July 2023 – English

HRCSL Letter to Prison Commissioner General on 8 July 2023 – Sinhala

HRCSL Press Notice 08072026