Minister of Justice and National Integration Harshana Nanayakkara says steps will be taken to submit promptly to Cabinet a committee report on establishing a formal procedure for granting presidential pardons to convicted prisoners.
The committee, headed by retired Supreme Court Justice S. Thurairaja, was appointed to formulate a formal mechanism for granting presidential pardons to prisoners sentenced to death or life imprisonment. Nanayakkara said its report had been submitted after a 10-month study.
What the committee recommends
The committee’s recommendations cover establishing a formal pardon procedure, commuting death sentences to life imprisonment, reducing life imprisonment terms to 20 years, and allowing eligible inmates to go on home leave.
Nanayakkara said the proposals for a formal mechanism to release prisoners sentenced to death or life imprisonment through a general pardon system would be presented to Cabinet.
The Minister made the remarks while inspecting the Colombo Remand Prison, the New Magazine Prison and Welikada Prison, and discussing problems faced by male and female inmates.
Government Analyst backlog
Separately, after meeting male and female inmates held in remand custody because of delays in obtaining Government Analyst’s reports, Nanayakkara said arrangements had been made to expedite the issuing of those reports.
Delays in Government Analyst’s reports are a recurring cause of prolonged remand detention in Sri Lanka, with suspects held for extended periods while forensic findings needed for their cases are outstanding.
Sri Lanka retains the death penalty in law but has not carried out an execution since 1976, with successive presidents commuting sentences rather than signing death warrants. A formal pardon procedure would replace what has been a largely discretionary process.
Ada Derana was the only verified newsroom carrying the Minister’s remarks on Friday.
