The Sri Lankan government’s proposed new counterterrorism legislation allows wide scope for abuse and poses serious threats to human rights, Amnesty International said in a new legal analysis.
Despite some improvements on the previous white paper of the law issued in late 2025, the Protection of the State from Terrorism bill, which will replace the repressive and long-standing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), retains an overly broad and ambiguous definition of terrorism that leaves room for arbitrary interpretation and the potential criminalization of dissent, protest, and the activities of civil society organizations, the human rights watchdog said.
The bill, which was tabled on 6 October, is now before the Supreme Court to check its compatibility with Sri Lanka’s Constitution. Depending on the Supreme Court’s determination, the law is set to be debated by Sri Lanka’s parliament in the coming weeks.
“Any attempt to revise a counterterror law which has time and time again been weaponized by the authorities against dissent, government critics, and minorities must be given the utmost scrutiny. The new bill must break with this legacy of abuse, not give the authorities new tools to silence dissent,” Amnesty International’s South Asia Director, Smriti Singh, said.
“Sri Lanka’s history of abusing such legislation makes robust, enforceable safeguards essential, and these remain inadequately addressed in the bill, sparking serious human rights concerns.”
In addition to the overbroad definition of terrorism, the bill permits detention for up to one year without charge, alongside the possibility of up to one year of pretrial detention – a cumulation of two years in detention even before the start of a trial, the statement said.
Amnesty International says this breaches the right to be free from arbitrary detention, the presumption of innocence, and the right to be tried within a reasonable time.
“Allowing a person to be detained for up to a year before being charged, with the prospect of a further year in pretrial detention, raises grave concerns about arbitrary detention and the right to a fair trial. No one should have to spend years in detention while the state delays bringing a case to trial,” Smriti Singh added.
“We urge Sri Lanka’s parliament to withdraw this bill and reform the law in line with international human rights law and standards. Until this is done, the PTA should not be misused further,” Amnesty International further said.
