Sri Lanka, June 25 -- A total of 154 death row inmates who were recommended for release under a presidential pardon by several expert committees appointed by the Ministry of Justice in previous governments have remained behind bars for more than four years, according to prison sources.

Officials said that out of 262 prisoners currently serving death sentences, 154 had been selected in March 2022 for release under a general amnesty. However, the process was reportedly shelved amid the political turmoil that unfolded in the country during that period.

Relatives of the inmates point out that although President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has now been in office for nearly two years since the formation of the National People's Power (NPP) gove...