On 21 March 2020, a riot took place in Anuradhapura Remand Prison in the North Central Province of Sri Lanka. While some reports said the riot was due to the suspected presence of a number of prisoners with COVID-19 symptoms, others stated it was due to the suspension of family visits. This led to prisoner agitation, violence, and ultimately, the death of two prisoners, with six more injured. The incident illustrates systemic and structural issues which have remained unaddressed for decades.
Disasters and crises such as pandemics highlight existing and deeply embedded structural and systemic inequalities. They also make evident our failure to address these shortcomings, which disproportionately affect those already experiencing discrimination. As states around the world struggle to cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its adverse impact on socio-economic life, certain vulnerable groups continue to be at risk of being ignored when preventive and protective measures to counter the spread of the virus are formulated. Prisoners and detainees constitute one such group.
One common factor that binds prisoners and other groups likely to bear the brunt of the pandemic is that these groups did not figure in discussions on public policy during 'normal' times. The rights of prisoners do not garner much public interest globally, by virtue of the fact they have committed, or have been suspected, of committing crimes. As a result, they are viewed as expendable or unimportant.
In Sri Lanka, the potential impact of the pandemic should be viewed within the context of the state of prisons. This is applicable to other countries as well, including India, which has also experienced prison riots as a result of anxiety and fear around COVID-19. Such riots often involved rumours about prisoners being tested positive for COVID-19, or a general feeling that measures to ensure the safety of prisoners are inadequate.