UN experts have urged the Government of Sri Lanka to revise the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) to align the bill fully with international human rights standards.
While welcoming the proposed repeal of the 1979 Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and acknowledging improvements in the latest PSTA draft, the experts highlighted critical concerns that remain unaddressed. Key recommendations include narrowing the definition of terrorism strictly to acts causing death or serious injury, restricting military powers of arrest and search, ensuring detention orders are subject to prompt judicial oversight, and establishing a genuinely independent review committee with binding decisions.
The experts also called for strict procedural protections, including the total exclusion of evidence obtained through torture or ill-treatment, safeguards for journalistic sources and professional confidentiality, and the removal of immunities for officials involved in wrongful acts. Emphasizing that effective counter-terrorism measures require strict adherence to human rights, the UN experts offered technical assistance to help the government refine the bill. (Newswire)