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2025-10-24

The Prisons Commissioner calls for the death penalty to curb the drug crisis

In a controversial statement, Sri Lanka’s Prisons Commissioner Jageth Weerasinghe has urged the government to reinstate executions for large-scale drug traffickers, claiming such action is necessary to “protect future generations.” Addressing students at a drug awareness event, Weerasinghe said the country’s 36 prisons—built for 10,500 inmates—are now overcrowded with over 36,000 detainees, 65% of whom are imprisoned for drug-related offences. He described synthetic drugs like “ice” as highly toxic and fatal within two years of use. He called on political leaders to pressure President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to resume capital punishment for major drug offenders, framing it as a national emergency.

However, human rights advocates say the call for executions contradicts international standards. According to the 2025 FIDH-REDRESS report on torture and the death penalty in Asia, such punitive measures have no proven deterrent effect and often lead to miscarriages of justice in systems already plagued by abuse and corruption. The report urges governments—including Sri Lanka—not to revert to repressive measures, and instead focus on evidence-based, rights-respecting drug policies and prison reform.