Colombo Additional Magistrate Pasan Amarasekara issued a stern warning to prison officials, emphasizing, “Prisoners are humans too,” after witnessing 40 detainees shackled together with a single chain and brought into the courtroom. The Magistrate criticized the inhumane treatment and instructed prison officers to refrain from treating prisoners like animals.
“These are human beings, not animals,” Amarasena declared, addressing prison officers directly. His intervention highlighted growing concerns about prisoner dignity and human rights within Sri Lanka’s judicial system.
The magistrate explicitly ordered prison officials to cease the practice of restraining suspects with chains when presenting them in open court. Instead, he directed that proper procedures be followed for detaining suspects within court holding cells.
This stance by the magistrate represents a significant push towards reforming prisoner treatment practices and ensuring basic human dignity within the judicial process. The incident has sparked discussions about the need for more humane approaches in the criminal justice system.
