New Anti-Terror Bill Repackages Repression: HRW

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka’s proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) — intended to replace the decades-old Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) — has ignited intense criticism, with Human Rights Watch warning that the new bill mirrors the very abuses the government claims it seeks to end.

Published by the Ministry of Justice in December 2025, the PSTA is framed as a modern alternative to the draconian PTA of 1979, a law long condemned for enabling torture, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearance, and the systematic suppression of minorities and political dissent.

But rights advocates say the new draft falls dangerously short.

Human Rights Watch says the bill fails to meet international benchmarks established by UN counterterrorism experts and violates commitments Sri Lanka made to the European Union to uphold human rights in exchange for the GSP+ trade concessions.

Meenakshi Ganguly, Deputy Asia Director at HRW, delivered a blunt assessment:

“Ridding Sri Lanka of its abusive Prevention of Terrorism Act is long overdue, but this proposed law includes numerous provisions that would allow the authorities to commit the same abuses.”

“The government should immediately halt the PTA’s use and draft rights-respecting legislation through genuine public consultation.”

The critique comes in the wake of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s 2024 election pledge to abolish oppressive laws, including the PTA — a cornerstone promise of his campaign.

Despite calls for reform, the PSTA revives several clauses previously shelved amid public outcry in 2018 and 2023. The government opened consultations with civil society and experts, but their prior recommendations were not incorporated.

The government reported 49 PTA arrests in the first five months of 2025 — more than all PTA arrests in 2024.