COLOMBO, Nov. 30 (Xinhua) -- As many as 606 prisoners convicted on minor charges will be pardoned to ease congestion in Sri Lanka's prisons amid a COVID-19 outbreak, state media reported on Monday.
Prisoners over the age of 65, convicts who have completed half of their sentences for minor offenses, and convicts who have completed over 25 years in a life sentence, are all eligible for the general amnesty, Prisons Commissioner General Thushara Upuldeniya said.
"Those who have been convicted for minor offenses and languishing in jail for a mount of money to pay fines will also be released under the general amnesty," Upuldeniya said.
State Minister of Prison Reforms and Prison Rehabilitation Sudarshini Fernandopulle said prisoners convicted of serious crimes related to drugs, rape, and child abuse will not be released.
Over 1,000 cases of COVID-19 have been detected among inmates in Sri Lanka's prison system. Enditem
