Sri Lanka's trying to swap one bad anti-terror law for another, critics claim. Human Rights Watch says the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Act looks just as nasty as the old Prevention of Terrorism Act. Deputy Asia director Meenakshi Ganguly argued the new bill grants broad repressive powers unrelated to fighting terrorism. She urged the EU and other partners to push President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to scrap the old law entirely, not repackage it.
The draft legislation includes provisions for extraordinary arrests, arbitrary detention, and search powers. It allows deferred prosecution but offers no redress for wrongful detention or torture. The rights group states the bill fails United Nations benchmarks and violates Sri Lanka's commitments to the European Union. Those commitments are tied to trade benefits under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus.
President Dissanayake had campaigned on abolishing oppressive acts like the PTA. Critics note a discrepancy between his English and Sinhala manifesto versions regarding this pledge. The proposed PSTA would replace the widely condemned PTA, which has drawn international calls for repeal for years. HRW warns that the new act continues to ignore the government's own human rights promises.
The draft legislation includes provisions for extraordinary arrests, arbitrary detention, and search powers. It allows deferred prosecution but offers no redress for wrongful detention or torture. The rights group states the bill fails United Nations benchmarks and violates Sri Lanka's commitments to the European Union. Those commitments are tied to trade benefits under the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus.
President Dissanayake had campaigned on abolishing oppressive acts like the PTA. Critics note a discrepancy between his English and Sinhala manifesto versions regarding this pledge. The proposed PSTA would replace the widely condemned PTA, which has drawn international calls for repeal for years. HRW warns that the new act continues to ignore the government's own human rights promises.
