Deadly Unrest: Overcrowded Prisons Ignite Riots in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, riots in two overcrowded prisons led to the deaths of three prisoners and injuries to 23 others. Authorities suspect the unrest is planned sabotage as they grapple with a systemic overcrowding issue, housing over 41,000 inmates in facilities designed for 11,000.

In Sri Lanka, deadly riots erupted in two of its overcrowded prisons, claiming the lives of three prisoners and injuring at least 23 others, authorities said. Security forces eventually controlled the chaos, which broke out at Colombo's New Magazine Prison and Kuruwita prison, 80 kilometers from the capital.

As unrest simmered, police and special forces deployed at both the riot-hit and other prisons around the island to avert further disturbances. Tear gas was deployed at an open prison in Negombo to quell protests, in a system grappling with severe overcrowding, housing over 41,000 inmates in facilities meant for just 11,000 individuals.

Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told lawmakers there are suspicions of organized sabotage behind the incidents, given the systemic unrest seen across the prison network. To combat the chronic overcrowding, the government plans constitutional amendments extending superior court judges' tenure, aiming to expedite trial processes backlog clearing.