HRCSL directs authorities to protect inmates,ensure access to prisons

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has launched an investigation into the recent Negombo Prison violence, while also probing reports of torture and ill‑treatment of prisoners transferred to other facilities. In a letter copied to the President and key ministers, the HRCSL expressed concern after its Rapid Response Unit was denied entry to Welikada Prison on July 7, stressing its legal mandate to inspect prisons at any time. The Commission directed the Commissioner General of Prisons to grant unimpeded access to HRCSL staff and fully cooperate with the ongoing probe.