A special presidential pardon is set to be extended to a total of 1,004 inmates, leading to their release from prisons in celebration of Christmas Day.
This announcement comes from Commissioner of Prisons and Media Spokesman Gamini B. Dissanayake.
Among the inmates qualified to receive presidential pardons are 989 male inmates and 15 female inmates, as per the Department of Prisons.
This includes 162 inmates of the Pallekele Open Prison, 78 inmates of the Anuradhapura Prison and 42 inmates of Welikada Prison.
Accordingly, all 1,004 inmates who were qualified to receive the special presidential pardon will be released from the prisons on 25 December 2023.