The Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) has blamed what it describes as a systemic collapse of the country’s prison administration and the government’s adherence to IMF-backed austerity measures for the recent violence at Negombo Prison, calling for an independent investigation and sweeping reforms to the correctional system.

In a statement issued by its General Secretary, Dr. G. Weerasinghe, the CPSL extended condolences to the families of those killed during the unrest at Negombo Prison and subsequent incidents at other prisons, describing the violence as “not merely an administrative failure within a single institution but a profound systemic breakdown in Sri Lanka’s criminal justice and correctional framework.”

Full text of the statement: The Communist Party of Sri Lanka (CPSL) extends its condolences to the families of the people who lost their lives during the recent grave events that unfolded at Negombo Prison and subsequently at other prisons. It also expresses its deep concern and firm condemnation regarding the incidents, which represent not merely an administrative failure within a single institution but a profound systemic breakdown in Sri Lanka’s criminal justice and correctional framework.

The CPSL reiterates that prisons are institutions of rehabilitation, not arenas of violence. The Party has long maintained that Sri Lanka must transition from a punitive model to a restorative justice system, to one that rehabilitates offenders and reintegrates them as useful members of society. The lives of prisoners are of value to the nation, and the greatest effort should always be taken to preserve life.

It is therefore significant that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake himself stated that the loss of even one prisoner’s life is unacceptable. Yet the public was shocked by footage of an STF officer firing apparently indiscriminately through the Judas Window of the main gate of Negombo Prison. This raises serious questions: Why were non-lethal alternatives, including drone-based surveillance and assessment, not deployed? Why did command decisions fail at the most basic level?

The CPSL also notes with deep dismay that the honourable Minister of Justice and National Integration has not visited a single one of the prisons that come under his purview, since his appointment.

The outbreak at Negombo Prison is a symptom of a wider malaise. These include:

1. Extreme Overcrowding: Negombo Prison, designed for 650–680 inmates, was forced to house 2,600. Prisoners reported severe shortages of toilets, with up to 60 inmates queuing for a single facility. Nationally, the system built for 10,000–11,000 inmates now holds 39,000–41,000. This level of overcrowding is not mismanagement, it is institutional collapse.

2. Medical Neglect: Prisoners have repeatedly complained of insufficient access to medication. Amid ongoing epidemics, including Dengue Fever, inmates fear for their lives. A correctional system that cannot provide basic medical care is failing in its most fundamental duty.

3. Severe Undermanning: The prison service faces a shortage of 1,500 personnel, worsened by the ongoing recruitment freeze. Officers are overworked, underpaid, and insufficiently motivated due to disgracefully low public sector salaries.

The CPSL holds the Government fully responsible for this disaster. Its willingness to accommodate the draconian austerity conditions of the IMF has crippled recruitment across the public service, including the prison system. These externally imposed constraints have prevented the Department of Prisons from fulfilling its basic obligations to inmates and staff.

This tragedy is yet another proof of the Government’s incompetence and inability to govern. A regime that cannot protect those in its custody cannot claim moral or administrative legitimacy.

The CPSL calls upon the Government, Ministry of Justice, and Department of Prisons to:

1. Conduct an independent, transparent investigation into the Negombo Prison incident, with findings released to the public.

2. Hold accountable all officials whose actions or negligence contributed to the loss of life.

3. Provide immediate medical care, protection, and humane treatment to all inmates.

4. Implement urgent structural reforms to address overcrowding, understaffing, and medical shortages.

5. Transition toward a restorative justice model, reducing recidivism and strengthening social reintegration.

6. Reject externally imposed austerity measures that undermine national sovereignty and public safety.

The CPSL urges calm among the public and calls upon all stakeholders, including prison staff, families, civil society, and human rights organisations, to cooperate with investigative processes. The Party reaffirms its commitment to defending human dignity and ensuring that Sri Lanka’s institutions serve the people with justice, compassion, and accountability.