Sri Lanka: Rights groups sound alarm over proposed anti-terror law

For 46-year-old Ganesan from Batticaloa in eastern Sri Lanka, any discussion of terrorism brings back memories of his two-year-old daughter, who was killed in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. She was one of 270 people who lost their lives in a series of coordinated bombings targeting three churches and three luxury hotels across the island nation, with over 500 others injured.

Ganesan's daughter was killed in an attack on the Zion Church in Batticaloa. Despite his personal loss, Ganesan remains skeptical about the new counterterrorism bill pushed by the government.

Government's justification

The administration led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and his National People's Power faction has proposed the PSTA as a replacement for the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act. The government argues that a robust anti-terrorism law is needed to address the increasingly complex local and international activities of extremist groups.

Rights groups' concerns

Rights groups are sharply criticizing the new bill, arguing that the changes will not bring about any improvement. Activists warn that the draft features an overly broad definition of terrorism, provides inadequate judicial oversight, and grants extensive powers to law enforcement authorities.

The bill allows security forces to stop, search and question individuals on the basis of "reasonable suspicion," enter and search premises, and seize items on suspicion of them being linked to an offense under the terrorism act.

Militarization fears

Chandrasekaram also pointed out that the bill would confer police powers on the military, which is neither trained to investigate criminal offenses nor equipped to protect the rights of people targeted in such investigations. This could lead to the "militarization" of the law enforcement process.

Dhanushka Silva, a lawyer, said the proposed law is not much different from the existing one, despite the government's 2024 election pledge to repeal the PTA. "The present government pledged to repeal the PTA in their 2024 election manifesto. But now the government seems to replace it with a new act that is a replica of the PTA," he told DW.

Free speech implications

Silva believes the new bill could be misused to suppress democratic freedoms and muzzle dissent and free speech. Under Section 9 of the PSTA, even posts or statements made on social media could be subject to scrutiny due to the broad definition of terrorism-related offenses. Individuals who share content deemed to be a terrorism offense could face up to 15 years of rigorous imprisonment.

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has also called on the government to ensure that the bill is consistent with international human rights law.