Court orders media restriction following chief jailer testimony on negombo prison clash

Negombo Magistrate Shilani Perera instructed media outlets today to refrain from publishing details stemming from the testimony of the chief jailer on duty during the Negombo prison clash, citing potential risks to national security given the sensitive nature of the evidence.
The magistrate further directed the court registrar to secure the testimony safely within a safe.
These disclosures emerged as Wickrama Jayantha Kumara, serving as the chief jailer at the time, testified at the Negombo Magistrate Court regarding the incident involving ten officers and twenty-two inmates.
The testimony commenced around 1 p.m. and concluded close to 3 p.m.
Additionally, prison authorities submitted a detailed report concerning 89 prison police officers transferred from Welikada to Negombo alongside individuals receiving treatment at the Colombo National Hospital and Negombo Hospital.