HRW says Sri Lanka counterterrorism bill risks abuses News
AntanO, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
HRW says Sri Lanka counterterrorism bill risks abuses
Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Sunday stated that the Sri Lankan government’s proposed counterterrorism legislation risks a similar oppression to its current abusive law. The bill fails to meet benchmarks for protection of rights set by the UN. According to the rights group, the bill also does not comply with Sri Lanka’s rights obligations made to the European Union to benefit from trade arrangements under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus.

“The proposed law shows Sri Lankan authorities still cling to the belief that counterterrorism legislation grants sweeping, repressive powers unrelated to combating terrorism,” Meenakshi Ganguly, deputy Asia director at HRW, said. “The EU and other international partners should urge President Dissanayake to honor his commitment to abolish the PTA, rather than repackage its disastrous provisions in a new law.”

The Sri Lankan government published the Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) in December 2025. The PSTA would effectively replace the current legislative scheme, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). The PSTA draft includes provisions similar to the PTA, such as extraordinary arrest powers, arbitrary detention, and search and seizure powers. The PSTA also includes the ability to “defer or suspend” prosecution. However, critics argue that PSTA fails to provide redress for arbitrary arrest, detention and torture.

For years, Sri Lanka has been in the spotlight for the contentious PTA. Calls to repeal the legislation have been consistent since its enactment. International bodies have called on the country to repeal or reform this act. With the mounting international pressure to repeal the PTA, its removal was regarded as inevitable. 

In the National People’s Party’s 2024 election manifesto, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake campaigned for the elimination of oppressive legislation. The English version of the manifesto states, “abolition of all oppressive acts, including the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and ensuring civil rights of people in all parts of the country.” This specific commitment, however, cannot be found in the Sinhala version of the manifesto, a discrepancy which critics argue requires clarification from the Sri Lankan legal team.

For decades, the PTA has traumatically impacted the lives of Sri Lankans. The proposed counterterrorism legislation continues to fail to meet the Sri Lankan government’s pledge.

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