Printing as punishment?
Tuesday 15th September, 2026 Printing is becoming increasingly challenging in Sri Lanka. This is more so about printing newspapers and books owing to the ever-rising cost of paper, ink and high taxes, which even threaten the very survival of the printing and publishing industries. Printers and publishers are struggling to keep their heads above water. […]
Printing has long been a punishment in Sri Lanka, where it is often assigned to prisoners convicted of corruption and other serious crimes. The rising costs of paper, ink, and taxes have made it difficult for printers and publishers to stay afloat, but the issue of prisoners being assigned to the prison printing section has raised questions about the fairness of punishment.
Former Aviation Minister Priyankara Jayaratne, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for corruption, was recently attached to the prison printing section. Former ministers Mahindananda Aluthgamage and Nalin Fernando, who were also convicted of corruption and are currently serving long prison terms, have been assigned work in the prison printing section as well.
Some argue that the nomenclature of "rigorous imprisonment" needs to be reconsidered, as the work assigned to prisoners today can range from manual labor to skilled employment. Nevertheless, the assignment of influential politicians to prison printing sections raises concerns about the fairness of punishment and whether it is truly a deterrent against corruption.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
