Following widespread criticism of Sri Lanka’s draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) by over 80 civil society and human rights organisations, the Colombo-based Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA) has challenged the constitutionality of the bill in the Supreme Court.
"When the PTA was originally passed in 1979, then intended to be operative for only three years, it was referred to the Supreme Court as an ‘urgent Bill’, giving the Court only a few hours to reach a determination on its Constitutionality. Almost three years thereafter the PTA was amended, again as an urgent Bill, making the law a permanent and controversial part of Sri Lanka’s statute books for nearly 43 years," the CPA writes.
In their petition, they highlight clauses 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 11 and 12 as unconstitutional and maintained that they cannot be enacted into law, except if approved by a two-thirds vote in a parliamentary referendum as required by Article 83(a) of the Constitution.
The CPA criticism of the PTA has been shared by numerous human rights organisations including Human Rights, Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists.
In an apparent acknowledgement of the shortcomings of the proposed reforms, a government state minister has alleged that the government MAY replace the bill in its entirety.
Read more here: Sri Lanka claims PTA reforms are 'most progressive step', human rights experts disagree
Read more here.