The Sri Lankan Prisons Department has dismissed allegations of mistreatment raised by 21-year-old British national Charlotte Mae Lee, who is currently held at the Negombo Prison on serious drug trafficking charges. Authorities assert that Lee is being treated in line with established prison regulations and is not entitled to any special privileges based on nationality.
Lee was arrested last week at the Bandaranaike International Airport after customs officers discovered 46 kilograms of ‘kush’, a potent strain of cannabis, concealed in her luggage. With a street value estimated at £1.2 million, it is the largest seizure of its kind ever recorded at a Sri Lankan airport.
A former flight attendant, Lee claims she had no knowledge of the drugs being in her suitcase and that she had left her luggage unattended at a hotel in Bangkok before her departure to Sri Lanka. She now faces charges of possession and transportation of narcotics offences that could lead to a prison sentence of 20 to 25 years if convicted under Sri Lankan law.
Following her arrest, Lee was detained at the Police Narcotics Bureau for seven days. During that time, she alleges she was made to sleep on a bedbug-infested sofa under constant supervision, with minimal comfort or privacy. On Sunday, she was presented before the Negombo Magistrate’s Court, where she was remanded for a further 14 days while investigations continue.
Now confined to the women’s ward of Negombo Prison, Lee has painted a bleak picture of her living conditions. She reports being locked inside for 22 hours a day, with brief allowances to eat or step outside. She claims she hasn’t eaten for two days, citing nausea from the prison food, and says she now relies on shared snacks from fellow inmates.
According to her account, she sleeps on a concrete floor without a bed or blanket, using a jumper as a makeshift pillow. The ventilation is poor, with a barely functioning ceiling fan, and bathing facilities are limited to a bucket in a communal area. She states she has not been permitted to change clothes or take any personal medications. “I feel like I have no human rights here,” she reportedly said.
She also stated that despite having three lawyers, her appeals for better food and basic amenities have not been addressed. “The other British detainees here are men, so I don’t see anyone from home. There’s no communication. I haven’t even been able to arrange a call or write to my family,” she said. “There’s a TV, but it hardly works. You’re not told anything. You’re just left in silence.”
Responding to her complaints, Prisons Media Spokesperson Gamini Dissanayake confirmed that Lee is receiving the standard facilities afforded to any detainee under Sri Lankan prison regulations. “If someone delivers food to her, she is allowed to receive it. But we cannot provide any special facilities beyond what is legally permitted,” he said.
Dissanayake emphasized that the Negombo facility houses all female foreign detainees in one location and that multiple foreign nationals are currently held there. “If she feels her rights are being violated, she can file a complaint with the Human Rights Commission, the Prisons Monitoring Committee, or any appropriate oversight body,” he added. “There is no scope for preferential treatment based on nationality.”
The Prisons Department also confirmed that representatives from the British High Commission are permitted to visit Lee should the need arise.
The UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has acknowledged that Lee is receiving consular assistance. A spokesperson confirmed that her family is in contact with both UK and Sri Lankan authorities, and that support is being provided as per diplomatic protocols.
Lee’s case has attracted growing public attention in both Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom not only because of the quantity of drugs involved, but also due to the conditions of her detention and her claims of human rights concerns. While Sri Lankan officials emphasize that she is being treated equally under the law, her statements have sparked further debate over prison standards and the treatment of foreign nationals in detention.
Her legal team is reportedly preparing to challenge not only the criminal charges but also the nature of her confinement as the judicial process unfolds.
