{"id":17892,"date":"2020-11-30T04:41:04","date_gmt":"2020-11-30T09:41:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/?p=17892"},"modified":"2020-11-30T04:41:44","modified_gmt":"2020-11-30T09:41:44","slug":"sri-lanka-eight-die-in-prison-riot-over-covid-panic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/2020\/11\/30\/sri-lanka-eight-die-in-prison-riot-over-covid-panic\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka: Eight die in prison riot over Covid panic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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At least eight people have been killed and 52 injured after a prison riot in Sri Lanka which saw guards clash with inmates, officials have said.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The inmates had launched protests amid a surge of coronavirus infections in the prisons, demanding early release on bail and better facilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Police spokesman Ajith Rohana said guards had “used force to control an unruly situation” in the Mahara prison.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Around 1,000 cases have been reported from the country’s overcrowded prisons.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Media reports say prison guards had opened fire to contain the riot. Local news reports quoted residents who said they had seen a “massive fire” on the premises.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Deputy Inspector Ajith Rohana told BBC Sinhala that the injured had been admitted to the local Ragama hospital.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mr Rohana added that a contingent of elite police commandos had been called to tighten security around the prison, and five police teams had also been deployed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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This is the latest in a series of prison riots that have taken place in Sri Lanka in recent weeks, as the number of Covid-19 cases in jails continues to increase.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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In the capital Colombo, a group of protesters at Welikada jail launched a protest on the top of a prison roof asking that they be granted bail.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\"Inmates<\/span><\/div>
Inmates protested on the top of the prison building in Colombo (Image: Reuters)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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Another group of inmates at the Agunakolapalassa prison have been protesting for eight days, alleging that conditions in their prison have worsened.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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