Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners

Official account of the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners (CPRP). Advocating for the rights, welfare & legal transparency of prisoners in SL.

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

CORRECTION - 8th July 2026 is need to corrected as 9th July 2026

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT UPDATE:18 July 12:10 PM : SUSPICIOUS INDIVIDUAL INFILTRATES CPRP OFFICE

CPRP office was entered by a suspicious individual on two occasions, 8th July 2026 and 17th July 2026.
The unidentified person entered the office without disclosing his identity and engaged in suspicious activities. When senior officials of the organization arrived to meet him, he hurriedly left the premises. Despite objections from CPRP staff, he wandered inside the office compound. There is strong suspicion that he video recorded the office premises. A formal complaint has been lodged today at the Borella Police Station, and officers have already conducted an on site inspection.
Immediate investigation and necessary security measures are required to ensure the safety of human rights defenders and the organization.

#CPRP #HumanRights #SriLanka

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT SITUATION REPORT 07

The #Negomboprison crisis has entered a dangerous phase of lawlessness. The total verified death toll has tragically risen to 34 lives.

In a flagrant violation of the law, prison authorities are actively subverting court directives by unlawfully detaining at least 15 inmates who were already granted bail by the #Negombo Court. Reports indicate they are being held to extract forced statements and suppress eyewitness evidence of the initial clash.

Meanwhile, bureaucratic "runaround" tactics continue to torment families.

The rule of law must be restored immediately.

#PrisonReformSL #HumanRights #SriLanka #NegomboPrison

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT UPDATE:14 July 4:00 PM

The CPRP has learned that several inmates granted bail by the Negombo Court are being blocked from leaving the prison premises.
According to distressed family members, these individuals who were granted bail for minor offenses are being unlawfully held to extract statements or suppress evidence regarding the recent violent prison clash. Keeping these individuals detained after bail has been granted without any fresh judicial order constitutes a flagrant violation of the law and amounts to illegal detention. Unconfirmed sources indicate that at least 15 inmates are currently trapped inside under these illegal conditions. Immediate judicial intervention is required to halt this arbitrary detention!

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT SITUATION REPORT 06

A horrific human rights crisis is unfolding inside #WelikadaPrison. Over 150 inmates transferred from Negombo to the Y.O. Cell are facing systematic physical torture, allegedly beaten three times a day by guards furious over @HRCSL complaints. Many are left severely injured and completely unable to walk.

Today, attorneys Senaka Perera, Suren D. Perera, Danushka de Silva, Manushika Cooray & Madawa Iriyagama visited the facility and witnessed visible injuries firsthand. However, prison guards refused private consultation, standing within earshot to intimidate inmates and shatter attorney-client privilege. The Welikada Superintendent explicitly refused even to accept the legal team's official complaint!

Meanwhile, the cover-up deepens. In the last 48 hours, 10 more families contacted CPRP, unable to locate their loved ones, while others who found the holding facilities are being aggressively denied all physical access.
Protecting these victim-witnesses from ongoing state retaliation is a critical legal and humanitarian duty. Immediate accountability is required now!
#PrisonReformSL #HumanRights #SriLanka #NegomboPrison

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT UPDATE:13 July 7:00 PM

Over 150 inmates transferred from Negombo Prison to the #YOcell at #Welikada are facing continuous, systematic physical torture.
Prison officials are allegedly carrying out brutal assaults on these detainees #three times a day, leaving a large number of inmates severely injured and completely unable to walk. These relentless attacks are reportedly driven by prison guards furious over complaints filed with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (@HRCSL).
The State and the Minister must intervene immediately. Protecting these #victim_witnesses from ongoing state retaliation is a critical legal and humanitarian duty.
Immediate accountability is required right now.!
#WelikadaPrison #Torture #HumanRights #SriLanka #HRCSL #PrisonReformSL #NegomboPrison

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT UPDATE:13 July 1:00 PM

Lawyers Denied Private Access to Tortured Inmates at #WelikadaPrison
Today, #attorneys Senaka Perera, Suren D Perera, Danushka de Silva, Manushika Cooray & Madawa Iriyagama visited the facility. They directly observed inmates with visible injuries on their hands and struggling to walk due to severe pain.
However, prison guards the very officers implicated in the abuse, refused to provide a private consultation space and stood listening to the entire conversation. Under this intimidation, the inmates could not safely disclose the full extent of the torture they endured.
The #WelikadaPrison Superintendent refused to accept the legal team’s official complaint about this blatant breach of client-attorney confidentiality. The formal complaint has now been filed at Prison Headquarters.
Immediate judicial oversight is urgently required to protect these victims.

#PrisonReformSL #HumanRights #SriLanka #NegomboPrison #Welikada

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT SITUATION REPORT 05

The crisis at Negombo Prison has escalated. Over 35 families (Including Indian family) are left completely in the dark for 5 days as a complete informational blackout is enforced. Worse, brutal retaliatory assaults are being carried out on transferred inmates immediately after @HRCSL_SriLanka officials leave monitoring visits, with guards shouting, "Who complained to the Human Rights Commission?"

The window to save lives is narrowing. Immediate authoritative intervention is required now!
@santjha
#PrisonReformSL #HumanRights #SriLanka #NegomboPrison

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

தமிழ்அவசர இக்காலநிலைத் தகவல்: 11 ஜூலை, பி.ப. 16:30 மணி நீர்கொழும்பு சிறைச்சாலையிலிருந்து மாற்றப்பட்ட கைதிகள் இருக்கும் இடம் குறித்து அவர்களது உறவினர்களுக்கு இன்னும் எவ்வித தகவலும் இல்லை. இன்று காலை 10:00 மணி முதல் மாலை 4:00 மணி வரையான காலப்பகுதிக்குள் 14 உறவினர்கள் CPRP அமைப்பைத் தொடர்புகொண்டதுடன், நீர்கொழும்பு சிறைச்சாலையிலிருந்து மாற்றப்பட்ட தங்களது குடும்ப உறுப்பினர்கள் இருக்கும் இடம் குறித்து தங்களால் இன்னும் கண்டறிய முடியவில்லை என அவர்கள் அனைவரும் தெரிவித்துள்ளனர். ஜூலை 10ஆம் திகதி முதல், குடும்பத்தினர் முற்றிலும் அறியாத நிலையில் வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ள இவ்வாறான 35 சம்பவங்களை CPRP ஆவணப்படுத்தியுள்ளது. நீர்கொழும்பு சிறைச்சாலையில் இடம்பெற்ற வன்முறை மோதலுக்குப் பிறகு இப்போது தொடர்ச்சியாக 5ஆவது நாளாக நீடிக்கிறது. மாற்றப்பட்ட அனைத்து கைதிகளினதும் இருப்பிடம் மற்றும் அவர்களது நல்வாழ்வு குறித்த தெளிவான தகவல்களை உடனடியாக வழங்குவதற்கும், இதில் உடனடியாக தலையிடுமாறும் சம்பந்தப்பட்ட அதிகாரிகளை நாங்கள் வலியுறுத்துகிறோம்.

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT UPDATE :11 July 16:30 PM
Relatives Still Unable to Locate Loved Ones Transferred from Negombo Prison.
Between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM today, 14 relatives contacted the CPRP, all reporting that they are still unable to locate their family members transferred from Negombo Prison.
Since 10th July, the CPRP has documented 35 incidents in which families remain completely in the dark now entering the fifth consecutive day since the violent clash at Negombo Prison.
We urge the relevant authorities to intervene immediately and provide clear information on the whereabouts and well-being of all transferred inmates.
#PrisonReformSL #HumanRights #SriLanka #NegomboPrison

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

සිංහලහදිසි පරිවර්ථනය: ජූලි 11 පස්වරු 16:30
මීගමුව බන්ධනාගාරයෙන් මාරුකර යැවූ රැඳවියන් සිටින ස්ථානයක් පිළිබඳව ඔවුන්ගේ ඥාතීන්ට තවමත් තොරතුරක් නැත. අද දින පෙදවරු 10:00 ත් පස්වරු 4:00 ත් අතර කාලය තුළ රැඳවියන්ගේ ඥාතීන් 14 දෙනෙකු CPRP සංවිධානය සම්බන්ධ කරගත් අතර, මීගමුව බන්ධනාගාරයෙන් මාරුකර යැවූ තම පවුලේ සාමාජිකයන් සිටින ස්ථානයක් පිළිබඳව තවමත් කිසිදු තොරතුරක් දැනගැනීමට නොමැති බව ඔවුන් සියලු දෙනාම වාර්තා කර සිටියහ. ජූලි 10 වැනිදා සිට මේ දක්වා, පවුල්වල සාමාජිකයන් රැඳවියන් රඳවා සිටින ස්ථාන පිළිබඳව නොදන්නා සිදුවීම් 35ක් Cඵ්ර්‍ඵ් විසින් ලේඛනගත කර ඇත. මීගමුව බන්ධනාගාරය තුළ ඇති වූ ප්‍රචණ්ඩකාරී ගැටුමෙන් පසු දැන් එළඹෙන්නේ 5 වැනි දිනයයි. මාරුකර යැවූ සියලුම රැඳවියන් සිටින ස්ථාන සහ ඔවුන්ගේ සුවදුක් පිළිබඳව පැහැදිලි තොරතුරු වහාම ලබා දීමට මැදිහත් වන ලෙස අපි අදාළ බලධාරීන්ගෙන් ඉල්ලා සිටිමු

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT FIELD ALERT 11 July 12.40 PM: FAMILIES GATHER AT NEGOMBO PRISON SEEKING ANSWERS

Right now, a large number of relatives of the Negombo Prison inmates have gathered in front of the Negombo Prison. Despite their presence, authorities have completely failed to provide any specific information regarding the exact whereabouts of their loved ones. The institutional blackout continues to cause severe distress to these families five days after the incident. Immediate transparency and official intervention are required right now!
#PrisonReformSL #HumanRights #SriLanka #NegomboPrison

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT FIELD ALERT 11 July 09.00 AM: RETALIATORY ASSAULTS REPORTED IMMEDIATELY AFTER HRCSL DEPARTURE

It has come to our attention that immediately after Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) officials complete their monitoring visits regarding the torture of Negombo transferees, prison authorities in multiple facilities are carrying out brutal and inhumane physical assaults on the very same inmates. During these beatings, prison officials are reportedly shouting, “who complained to the Human Rights Commission?” These attacks appear to be direct retaliation, occurring the moment oversight teams leave the premises. Immediate round the clock independent protection and monitoring is urgently required to prevent further severe abuses and safeguard the lives of the detainees.

#PrisonReformSL #HumanRights #SriLanka #NegomboPrison

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT SITUATION REPORT - 04
Now entering the 4th day of a complete information blackout. Dozens of terrified families remain in the dark, not knowing if their loved ones are dead or alive. Prison authorities continue to block all information.
#PrisonCrisisLK #NegomboPrison

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

இற்கு தெரிவித்துள்ளனர். அதிகாரிகள் உடனடியாக அவர்கள் இருக்கும் இடத்தை வெளிப்படுத்த வேண்டும்!

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

URGENT 10 July 18.30 PM: 4 days after the Negombo Prison clash, families still don’t know where transferred inmates are. Today alone, 21 families contacted CPRP unable to locate their loved ones. Authorities must immediately disclose their locations! #PrisonReformSL

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

அவசரம் Trn.: நீர்கொழும்பு சிறைச்சாலை மோதல் இடம்பெற்று 4 நாட்களாகியும், மாற்றப்பட்ட கைதிகள் எங்கிருக்கிறார்கள் என்பது உறவினர்களுக்கு தெரியவில்லை. இன்று மட்டும் 21 குடும்பங்கள் தமது உறவினர்களை கண்டுபிடிக்க முடியவில்லை என CPRP

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

தமிழ் Tr. ஐநா மனித உரிமைகள் அலுவலகம் கடும் கவலை! நீர்கொழும்பு சிறை வன்முறை மற்றும் பிற சிறைகளில் கைதிகள் மீதான பழிவாங்கல்கள்/சித்திரவதைகள் குறித்து ஐநா கடும் கவலை வெளியிட்டுள்ளது. அனைத்து சிறைகளுக்கும் தடை ஏதுமின்றி செல்ல HRCSL அனுமதிக்குமாறு ஐநா வலியுறுத்தியுள்ளது.

[Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners @CPRPSRILANKA]

UPDATE ALARM! - 10 July 01.40 PM - OHCHR spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani expresses deep alarm over deadly Sri Lanka prison violence & reports of torture/reprisals against transferred inmates. Urges authorities to grant HRCSL unfettered access to all facilities. #PrisonCrisisLK