Two prison officers who died after being injured in the clash at the Negombo Prison have been awarded posthumous promotions to the rank of Sergeant, the Prisons Department has announced.
The two guards, aged 25 and 39, had been undergoing treatment at the Colombo National Hospital before they died early last week. Posthumous promotions had already been granted to eight other prison officers who were killed in the same clash — with one officer who had served as a Second Class Jailor promoted to First Class Jailor, and the others elevated to Sergeant.
The recognition brings to ten the number of prison officers honoured for their service and sacrifice during the violence. The clash, which broke out between drug traffickers and organised-crime suspects held at the facility, left 10 prison officers and 21 inmates dead and injured nearly 100 people, according to NewsFirst.
The Negombo Prison unrest ranks among the deadliest incidents in a Sri Lankan correctional facility in recent memory and has triggered political and human-rights scrutiny. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has launched an investigation into the violence, while the opposition has moved a no-confidence motion against the Justice Minister over the government’s handling of the deaths.
