Sri Lanka Police Allege Drugs Cause of Mahara Prison Riot
Sri Lanka Police Allege Drugs Cause of Mahara Prison Riot
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COLOMBO Inmates who rioted at Sri Lanka’s Mahara prison last month acted violently because they had ingested psychiatric drugs stolen from the prison hospital, authorities allege.
Riots broke out on Nov. 29 at the high-security prison as panicked inmates tried fleeing a day after the number of Covid-19 cases exceeded 1,000. Two inmates reportedly died from the virus. Eleven inmates were killed during the riots and several others were injured.
Following deadly riot, spotlight on Sri Lanka’s prison conditions
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Prisons on the island have over 30,000 inmates, more than thrice their capacity
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Prisons on the island have over 30,000 inmates, more than thrice their capacity
The riot in Sri Lanka’s Mahara prison on November 29, in which 11 inmates were killed, has turned the spotlight on the alarming conditions in the country’s prisons, only magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic that has not spared even highly guarded prison cells. Eight of the 11 victims were found to be COVID-19 positive.
The prison riot less than a fortnight ago is the starkest reflection yet of the anxiety of inmates there were other protests and attempted escapes reported in the past weeks as COVID-19 raged through their crowded cells. At least 187 at the Mahara prison had tested positive and other prisoners, who were in no position to maintain physical distancing or access tests at their will, feared for their liv