On 22 February 2011, Ms. U. A. Somawathi was released from Welikada Prison, Colombo, after spending nine years in pre-trial detention. Her release was secured by Ms. Harshi Perera, JusticeMaker 2010.
1. Please introduce yourself, briefly. I am Lionel Weerasinghe, Correctional Professional Commissioner. I retired after serving 34 years in the governments Prison Department. My retiring position was Commissioner of Prisons (Welfare). I am a...
Sri Lankan JusticeMaker Fellow Harshi Perera organized a Public Legal Rights Awareness Session with former pre-trial detainees and their families. The two-hour discussion was held on November 13 in the Janasansadaya sub-office in the...
Ms. N. D. Anulawathi was released from Welikada Prison, outside Colombo, on 29th October 2010. Anulawathi was arrested for possession of heroin and incarcerated in the women’s ward for 26 months. Soon after the...
On September 4 2010, Mohamed Nowsan, a 28 year old father of one, was arrested and interred in Tengalle prison. He claims that the charges against him were fabricated by the police and that...
On October 19 JusticeMaker Harshi Perera successfully secured the release of a female inmate, Nilmini Pushpakumari. Nilmini was interred in Welikada women’s ward on charges of selling heroine. Upon arrest, Nilmini was sent to...
(October 20, Colombo, Sri Lanka Guardian) Kumari is a 23 years old mother of one child. She was in remand prison along with her one year and eight month old baby girl. They have...
"After she returned to Sri Lanka the police arrested her husband and remanded him. He is in the male ward in the same prison. A week after her husband's arrest she too was arrested...
Sri Lankan NGO Janasansadaya released this two part EU-funded documentary film with English subtitles. Part 1: Part 2:
"When Madu went to the police station the next day she was assaulted with a cricket pole and told to plead guilty. They took her signature on a written statement by force. The statement...
