Anti-Terrorism legislation must uphold international law and human rights

AFTER decades of widespread domestic and international criticism of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), a law repeatedly used to justify arbitrary detention, torture, and suppression of dissent, successive governments have pledged to repeal it.

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The latest attempt to replace the PTA, now framed as the Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA), risks perpetuating, rather than ending, many of the very abuses that have marred Sri Lanka’s rule of law.

The PTA, first enacted in 1979, has for years enabled prolonged detention without charge, routine denial of fair trial guarantees, and the broad criminalisation of political dissent. Its impact was felt most acutely by Tamil and other minority communities, but also by students, journalists, trade unionists, and dissidents of all backgrounds. The law’s perceived impunity was such that even routine protests or civil society activity could be met with sweeping police and intelligence action.

The latest draft PSTA seeks to recast terrorism offences, investigative powers, and executive authority. Yet early analysis by rights groups and legal experts suggests that the new bill, like its predecessors, falls far short of international human rights standards.