Mahara prison unrest; injured inmate in coma

COLOMBO (News1st): An inmate injured during the unrest at the Mahara Prison in November last year has entered a state of coma, a prison rights activist said. "He is receiving treatment at the Intensive Care Unit of the Mulleriyawa Hospital," Sudesh Nandimal, the general secretary of the Committee for Protecting Rights of Prisoners told reporters. He added that the inmate is a resident of Malwana in the Gampaha district. Meanwhile, the mother of the injured inmate said prison officers had initially covered up the situation of her son by claiming that he was in prison. The mother said she had provided prison officers Rs 3000 to be given to her son after being informed he was being treated at the prison hospital. "I was later told that he has been admitted to the Mulleriyawa hospital after testing positive for COVID-19," she recalled as she broke down into tears. Prison rights activists claimed that inmates have been beaten inhumanely to erase any trace of evidence on the unrest that killed 11 inmates. The recommendations of the committee that investigated the unrest, will be implemented at the earliest, justice secretary M.M.P.K. Mayadunne said.