25 October 2025 :

A total of 826 individuals are on death row at present (October 2025), Commissioner of Prisons and Media Spokesman Jagath Weerasinghe stated.
Addressing a ceremony held in Nawalapitiya, Commissioner Weerasinghe noted that among the 805 males, there are five school students who have been sentenced to death while 21 women are also on death row, at present.
Prison Media Spokesman Jagath Weerasinghe stated that large-scale drug traffickers should be sentenced to death.
He pointed out that drugs are destroying the future generations of the country.
The Commissioner said the southern region ranks number one for underworld activities.
Prisons Commissioner Jagath Weerasinghe further said, “I cannot understand how such an educated society has transformed into one where people kill for money. How did those who bring drugs into the country on such a large scale come to destroy this nation? The root cause of all these problems is the large-scale drug traffickers in this country. They must definitely be executed, because they are destroying an entire nation. Therefore, large-scale drug traffickers must be sentenced to death — there is nothing sinful about it.”