Sri Lanka to convert hospital into prison after deadly riot

Crime

Politics

July 8, 2026

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Sri Lanka to convert hospital into prison after deadly riot

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COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AFP) — Sri Lanka plans to open a new prison in a disused hospital building, the justice ministry announced Wednesday after a riot killed 20 inmates and eight guards at an overcrowded jail.

The deadly violence has intensified scrutiny of Sri Lanka’s chronically overcrowded jails, with official figures showing prisons were operating at roughly four times their intended capacity.

Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara issued an order to take over a section of the disused hospital in the island’s south to accommodate inmates from other facilities.

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