Sri Lanka – Legal Aid for Pre-Trial Detainees

Posted by Gaston Lacombe  at September 13th, 2010

Harshi Perera’s JusticeMaker project is to select 5 women from Welikada Prison in Colombo, Sri Lanka, who are imprisoned as pre-trail detainees because they cannot afford bail or a lawyer, and provide them with the necessary legal aid. With the help of a friend at Welikada’s Women’s Ward, who controls all arrivals and departures, Harshi is reading through cases, and meeting with family members to decide which prisoners are most in need of her assistance. A few days ago she met with Manel Manshak to talk about her parents, who have been waiting in jail for 2 years. Here is Manel’s story.