End of PTA?

THE announcement by Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath in Parliament recently that the Government will repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) is a welcome, though long overdue, development.

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For over four decades, the PTA has hung over like a dark shadow being an emblem of unchecked State power and a license for abuse.

Introduced in 1979 as a temporary measure to combat terrorism, the law instead became a permanent fixture of governance, used repeatedly to silence dissent, intimidate minorities, and erode the foundations of democracy.

The PTA was draconian in its scope. It gave sweeping powers to the security forces and the Minister of Defence to detain individuals without charge or trial for extended periods, effectively bypassing the judiciary. In practice, this meant that individuals could, and often did, spend years behind bars without ever seeing the inside of a courtroom. Some detainees have spent periods longer than life sentences under the guise of “preventive detention.” In many instances, allegations of torture, coerced confessions, and degrading treatment accompanied these detentions. Families were left in limbo, unable to seek justice for their loved ones.