(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered elderly prisoners over 60 years of age serving term for minor offences to be pardoned and released.
According to Prisons Rehabilitation and Reforms Minster Chandrasiri Gajadeera, the decision comes amidst a need to reduce the number of prisoners in over-crowded prisons around the country.
Prison sources said that older prisoners who have served more than 10 years of jail term will be released after the necessary papers have been drawn up.
The new legislation, when passed, is expected to reduce the congestion in prisons to an extent.
Death penalty in Sri Lanka has been commuted to life imprisonment since 1973.
Although the death penalty was re-introduced in 2004 for murder, rape and drug trafficking and a call for training executioners commenced this year, no execution has been carried out in the country yet.
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