Free Lawyers call for Justice Minister’s resignation over Mahara Prison riots

Free Lawyers Sri Lanka has called for the resignation of Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara, accusing him and Ministry Secretary Ayesha Jinasena of failing to prevent the unrest at Mahara Prison that left at least one inmate dead and several others injured.

In a statement issued on Sunday (2), the organisation said it strongly condemned what it described as the failure of the Justice Ministry leadership to address the conditions that led to the prison disturbance.

Citing an urgent statement issued by the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP Sri Lanka), Free Lawyers Sri Lanka claimed that several fatalities may have occurred inside Mahara Prison and that a number of inmates had been injured. It alleged that prison officers had opened fire and prevented inmates from assisting the wounded, while noting that these claims required verification.

Official reports had earlier confirmed one inmate death and six injuries following the unrest.

The group said gunshots had been heard from within the prison, a fire had broken out in a building, and tensions had spilled outside the prison premises as relatives of inmates and residents attempted to breach police barricades, leading to clashes with security personnel.

It said water cannons were deployed and a police curfew was imposed in areas surrounding the prison as authorities worked to contain the situation.

Describing the incident as a consequence of systemic overcrowding and administrative failures, Free Lawyers Sri Lanka said the Mahara unrest was not an isolated event but followed the deadly unrest at Negombo Prison less than a month earlier, in which around 30 people were killed and hundreds injured.

The organisation accused the Government of failing to implement meaningful corrective measures following the Negombo incident and criticised Minister Nanayakkara for refusing to resign despite initially accepting responsibility for security failures.

It also alleged that the Government had blocked accountability by defeating a no-confidence motion brought against the Minister in Parliament.

Free Lawyers Sri Lanka further criticised the Minister’s move to present a constitutional amendment seeking to increase the retirement age of Superior Court judges to Cabinet, claiming it was pursued without adequate consultation with the Bar Association of Sri Lanka and the Judicial Service Association.

The group said the Justice Ministry had failed to prioritise prison safety while pursuing a “politically sensitive” constitutional change and argued that a ministry unable to prevent deadly prison unrest lacked credibility to undertake reforms affecting the judiciary.

Calling for immediate intervention by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka, the organisation urged the Commission to send a team to Mahara Prison without delay.

It also demanded that Minister Nanayakkara accept full responsibility for the Negombo and Mahara prison incidents, resign from his post, ensure an independent and transparent public inquiry into the Mahara unrest, and withdraw the proposed constitutional amendment on judicial retirement ages until the Ministry demonstrates its ability to fulfil its core responsibilities.