A case of brutal assault by prison officers on a young man has been reported from the Hambantota area. According to reports, Hasitha Lakshan Wijesuriya, a 21-year-old resident of Hambantota, was allegedly beaten by prison officers.
On November 27, the young man had gone to a relative’s house in Agunakolapelessa but hadn’t returned home by night, and his phone was inactive. The next day, his family received a call from the Agunakolapelessa Police stating that the young man was in police custody and would be produced in court.
When his relatives arrived at the court around 11 AM, the hearing had already begun and concluded by 2 PM. During the brief period allowed for inmates to speak with their relatives, when the family members tried to talk to him, prison officers verbally abused them. When relatives asked if they could bring him food, the officers threateningly replied, “We’ll give him plenty to eat tonight,” and ordered the relatives to leave the premises.
The next day, November 29, when relatives went to see him, they learned that he had been handed over to the Agunakolapelessa Police by prison officers on charges of throwing twenty cigarettes into the prison on the night of the 27th. He was remanded for 14 days. Under these charges, he was repeatedly beaten from 11 PM until 3 AM that night, and again on the morning of the 29th. He was beaten with hands, feet, and cables, resulting in difficulty walking. He also developed an ear ache due to the beatings.
The Hambantota Human Rights First Aid Center has intervened in this case and filed complaints with the Commissioner General of Prisons, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission, the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police Galle, the Senior Superintendent of Police Tangalle, and the Officer in Charge of Agunakolapelessa Police Station.
For legal assistance in such cases, you can contact your regional Human Rights First Aid Centers. For human rights violations and torture cases in the Hambantota area, complaints can be filed with either the Hambantota Human Rights First Aid Center or our main office.
Hambantota Human Rights First Aid Center – 0769692424
Right to Life Human Rights First Aid Center 0112-669100
– Chethana Gomis –
