Amnesty International has called on the Sri Lankan government to immediately withdraw the proposed Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill, warning that it would grant authorities sweeping powers and undermine fundamental human rights.
In a statement issued on Tuesday (27), the international human rights organisation described the proposed legislation as one of the most alarming laws introduced by the National People’s Power (NPP) government.
Amnesty warned that the Bill could allow suspects to be detained for up to two years without trial, permit confessions made to senior police officers to be used as evidence in court, and restrict media reporting on court proceedings.
It also raised concerns over provisions allowing police to conduct searches without warrants and obtain personal information, including telephone records, subscriber identities and device location data, without a court order.
“This extraordinary bill is the most alarming in a string of repressive laws proposed by the National People’s Power (NPP) government. It reintroduces most of the very worst elements of the PTA and applies them to a wide range of offences,” said Smriti Singh, Amnesty International’s South Asia Director.
The organisation warned that the proposed law could recreate conditions that previously enabled arbitrary detention, torture and other human rights abuses under Sri Lanka’s Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
According to Amnesty, the legislation would allow suspects to be detained for up to one year before being charged, followed by a further year in pretrial detention.
The organisation also expressed concern that courts could consider a person’s clothing, tattoos, hand signs, language, associations and places visited when determining whether they belong to an organised criminal group.
Amnesty warned that such provisions could encourage discriminatory profiling and undermine the right to a fair trial.
Another major concern involves provisions allowing confessions made to police officers above the rank of Assistant Superintendent to be admitted as evidence.
The organisation said the proposed law would also place the burden on accused persons to prove that torture or other ill-treatment had occurred.
Amnesty further criticised provisions requiring individuals to provide information to police, with penalties of up to seven years in prison or a fine of Rs. 200,000 for failing to comply.
The organisation warned that access to telecommunications and digital records without judicial oversight could expose journalists’ sources, lawyers’ communications and organisers of lawful protests to surveillance.
“Sri Lanka is following a dangerous path by introducing legislation that weakens safeguards against torture and other ill-treatment and that puts fair trial guarantees at risk, repeating the mistakes of the PTA. This must stop,” Singh said.
Amnesty called on the government to withdraw the legislation entirely and initiate meaningful public consultations on measures to combat organised crime while protecting fundamental rights.
The call follows similar concerns raised by the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka and the Bar Association of Sri Lanka, both of which have urged the government to withdraw the proposed legislation.
The government has maintained that the proposed legislation is intended to strengthen efforts against organised criminal networks and support international cooperation in combating serious crime.
The Bill was gazetted on October 6 and presented to Parliament on October 20, where it remains at the first-reading stage. (Newswire)