The United National Party has written to the Acting Commissioner General of Prisons raising concern for the safety of its deputy leader, former education minister Akila Viraj Kariyawasam, who is being held at Magazine Prison in Colombo.
The letter follows the unrest reported at the facility this week. In its communication to prison authorities, the party said Kariyawasam’s safety and wellbeing must be ensured while he remains in custody, NewsFirst reported.
The letter, signed by UNP General Secretary Thalatha Athukorala, states that Kariyawasam’s life could be at risk in the current environment and reminds prison authorities of their responsibility to guarantee his protection.
The party has also requested a meeting with the Acting Commissioner General of Prisons to discuss the matter.
Background
Kariyawasam was arrested by the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption on August 5 and remanded until August 18 over an alleged loss of about Rs. 2.76 million to the state. He had appeared before the commission to give a statement shortly before the arrest.
Unrest broke out at the New Magazine Prison late on Thursday, when around 40 inmates broke out of a ward. One inmate died and others were injured. The disturbance was the first in a wave that spread to prisons at Kuruwita and Pallansena over the following day, prompting the government to say it suspects the incidents may be coordinated.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake chaired a meeting on Friday that agreed to set up a joint mechanism for inmate safety across all 33 prisons.
Sources: NewsFirst.
