Srilanka, Oct. 6 -- The Sri Lankan government's latest attempt to replace its abusive Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) retains numerous provisions that have enabled serious human rights violations, Human Rights Watch said today.
The proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTB), which will be sent to Parliament on October 6, 2026, includes an overbroad definition of terrorism, inadequate judicial oversight, sweeping powers of search and arrest for the armed forces, and executive authority to curtail freedom of speech, assembly, association, and movement. These provisions neither meet the benchmarks set out by United Nations human rights experts, nor comply with human rights obligations and commitments that Sri Lanka made to ...