Sri Lanka reiterates commitment to repeal PTA in talks with EU

Sri Lanka has again declared its commitment to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) during the recently concluded talks with the European Union.

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At the eighth meeting of the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission, held in Colombo, Sri Lankan representatives “confirmed the commitment to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and briefed the Working Group on the timeline to replace it with new counter-terrorism legislation in compliance with international norms and standards.”

The PTA has long drawn criticism from civil society, rights organisations, and international observers. The law has enabled arbitrary detention and torture for decades, particularly against Tamils. Despite repeated pledges by successive governments, no comprehensive repeal has yet materialised.

Though the National People's Power (NPP)-backed government has stated its commitment to repeal the PTA during election campaigns last year, once in power it has not yet taken legislative action to do so.

The following is the text of the joint statement issued by the government and the EU: The eighth meeting of the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission was held in Colombo on 5 May.