United Nations resident representative in Sri Lanka Hanna Singer-Hamdy tweeted expressing her concern over the incidents that occurred in the Welikada and the Anuradhapura prisonsinvolving State Minister Lohan Ratwatte.
She said “It is the duty of the state as per the Mandela Rules to protect the rights of the Prisoners. In our work on prison reforms and drug rehabilitation UN Sri Lanka works to strengthen capacities to uphold the rights of all those in custody and condemn any ill treatment of prisoners.
Meanwhile Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa also vehemently condemned the State Ministers act but stopped short of naming the minister involves.
Tamil parties however joined the Tamil National Alliance to condemn the dastardly act and call on the state to arrest the Minister concerned and take action against him according to the law.
Lohan Ratwatte nevertheless remains as the state Minister in-charge Gem and Jewellaryrelated Industries though he resigned as the Minister in- Charge of Prisons.
Commissioner General of Prisons Upuladeniyaand the media spokesman of the Prisons department denied any knowledge of the incident.
