- Controversial law: Sri Lanka’s Parliament on Tuesday approved amendments to the country’s controversial counter-terrorism law, which has drawn widespread international criticism for its harsh provisions.
- Amendment to Prevention of Terrorism Act: The Bill to amend the Prevention of Terrorism Act (Temporary Provisions) of 1979 was approved with 86 votes in favour and 35 against in the 225-member assembly.
- Widespread International Criticism: The Sri Lankan government by a gazette notification in late January announced amendments to PTA, in its effort to make the law fall in line with international standards of counter-terror legislation. The European Parliament in June 2021 had called for the repeal of the PTA and urged the EU Commission to consider temporarily withdrawing Sri Lanka’s access to GSP+, a favoured trade concession for the island’s exports. GSP+ preferences for Sri Lanka were withdrawn in 2010 due to significant shortcomings in the country’s implementation of three UN human rights conventions. Sri Lanka was readmitted to GSP+ in May 2017
- List of Changes: The amendments gazetted included steps such as the reduction of the period of detention, magistrates visiting the places of detention to eliminate torture, lawyers to be given access to detainees, allow communication with relatives, to expedite hearing of cases and the introduction of a new section to allow bail for PTA detainees.
- Initiation of Amendment: Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) has been used for over 40 years. After years of domestic and international criticism of the law, the Sri Lankan government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on January 27, 2022, published a bill to amend the act. The PTA was enacted in 1979 by the United National Party (UNP) government of President J. R. Jayawardene for combating “terrorism”—i.e., militant Tamil groups.
- Another amendment: The Personal Data Protection Bill was also incorporated into the legal system of the country as Acts.
