Human Rights Watch (HRW) in a report released on February 7 slammed Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), reports Tamil Guardian. The 59-page report slammed Sri Lanka’s use of the PTA, detailing how it has been utilised to detain Tamils and Muslims and suppress civil society on the island. The report notes how “twelve years since the end of the war the government is still targeting Tamils but also using the PTA against Muslims, particularly since 2019”. It also noted that the Government’s proposed amendments to the PTA would still leave it falling far short of international standards.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministry on February 7 said that the proposed Bill to amend the present Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) which the Government of Sri Lanka intends to introduce in Parliament is a progressive step towards protecting fundamental rights, reports Colombo Page. The Foreign Ministry said “Upon it being passed into law, the bill amending the PTA would be a salutary piece of legislation that would amend the present Prevention of Terrorism Act, after almost 43 years since it was enacted and would be the most progressive step that would give persons subject to the said law, tangible protection towards securing, advancing and protecting their fundamental rights guaranteed under the Constitution.”