Christmas amnesty for over 300 prisoners

President Ranil Wickremesinghe granted a Presidential Pardon to 306 male inmates and three female inmates yesterday to mark Christmas. Here, some of the inmates leaving the Welikada Prison yesterday. Picture by Nissanka Wijeratne.

Under a special Presidential amnesty, 309 prisoners have been released this Christmas. Of the prisoners released yesterday, 306 are male inmates and three are female inmates.

According to the powers vested with the President under Article 34 of the Constitution, this special state amnesty is granted to prisoners to coincide with Christmas.

Accordingly, the number of prisoners who will be released after cancelling the fines due from them are 237 and the number of prisoners who will be released due to the reduction of the parole period of one month is 71. A prisoner who has served half of his sentence and over 65 years of age too was released. The highest number of prisoners (33) was released from the Mahara Prison.

Meanwhile, 31 prisoners were released from the Kuruwita Prison, 29 prisoners from the Anuradhapura Prison, 23 prisoners from the Wariyapola Prison, 15 prisoners from the Welikada Prison, 08 prisoners from the Batticaloa Prison, 05 prisoners from the Jaffna and Trincomalee Prisons respectively. The 309 prisoners were released from 29 prisons.