India, Oct. 28 -- Amnesty International said a new bill before Sri Lanka’s parliament, the Prevention of Organised Crimes bill tabled on Oct. 6, should be immediately withdrawn, saying it grants authorities sweeping arbitrary powers to tackle “organized crime” and deny suspects’ human rights.
Key provisions flagged by Amnesty International
Amnesty International said the bill contains provisions that would expand police and prosecutorial powers and weaken safeguards. It highlighted the following elements:
* Making confessions extracted under duress admissible in court
* Enabling detention of suspects for up to two years without trial
* Banning the media from reporting on court proceedings
* Conferring police wide powers to conduct searche...