27 June, 2021
Nearly 150 death row inmates at the Mahara and Welikada prisons are on a hunger strike.
They are demanding that the authorities commute their death sentences to life imprisonment, reports revealed. A group of 70 inmates at the Mahara prison launched an indefinite fast-unto-death on Thursday (June 24), following which a group of inmates at the Welikada prison also commenced a hunger strike later in the day.
Prisons Spokesman Commissioner Chandana Ekanayake said that discussions with the parties are under way to resolve the situation.
According to reports, security at the Welikada prison has been beefed up.