Credible investigations

Wednesday, 14 November 2012 00:04 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

CREDIBLE investigations in the aftermath of one of Sri Lanka’s worst-ever prison riots needs to become a serious focus. The Welikada war that killed 27 and injured 59 others has shocked the nation, but it is unfortunately not the first time that prisoners have died in the recent past and been to all intents and purposes pushed into a shadow of obscurity.

In the aftermath the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has written to the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, Geneva, on the killings in the Welikada Prison.

AHRC quoted family members of the prisoners as saying that they received telephone calls from their relatives inside the prison at around 4 a.m. on November 10. “The prisoners informed their family members that they were being taken for questioning. Later these same prisoners were found dead of gunshot injuries. According to reports about 11 persons were killed in this manner after being taken for questioning,” it said.

Even though there is no love lost between AHRC and the Sri Lankan Government, the fair-minded public are aware that in two other raids of similar nature – one at the Magazine Prison and another at Vavuniya Prison – there was violence, leading to the death of prisoners. However, no credible and transparent investigations were held into either of these incidents. The one in Vavuniya in particular was dismissed as it was reported to have concerned former LTTE members.

Predictably, Sri Lanka has dismissed suggestions that prisoners were murdered in cold blood. Military Spokesperson Ruwan Wanigasooriya has repeatedly told media that the Army acted with restraint and followed standard operating procedures. He had remarked that troops did not act indiscriminately and the Army sent a small unit of professionals in to contain the situation. According to him the Army returned control of Welikada prison to the proper officials after two hours.

Yet statements of this nature will hold little trust with the public unless the Government works to find a reliable mechanism to conduct credible investigations. In an atmosphere when the Government has repeatedly stated that it is willing to improve its human rights record, clear investigations into the riots will stand as a landmark step.

The road towards better human rights starts with accountability. It cannot be narrowed to the implementation of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) recommendations or the Human Rights Action Plan introduced latterly by the Government. It is said that the worth placed on life by a State can be evaluated by the way it treats its prisoners and if that be the case, then Sri Lanka’s road remains long and tenuous.

As challenging as it would be, credible investigations are only one step towards restructuring the entire prison system. The very state of the prisoners, their treatment, and rehabilitation leave much to be desired. Repeated reports of prisoners on death row, where the riot is said to have started, overflows with base treatment with inmates not even having basic requirements. To have their voices heard, prisoners have to resort to drastic acts such as attacking jailors or holding satyagrahas on the rooftop. This is a situation clearly crying out for accountability and justice, but that remains a fettered dream.