Blog

On 17 March, the Sri Lankan government announced its intention to replace the country’s current draconian terrorism act with the new Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) . The proposed legislation has been criticied by trade unions, human rights organisations civil society, legal experts, and press freedom advocate, who have identified the bill’s potential to crackdown on dissent and civic amidst on going instability across the island. The law would expand the legal definition of terrorist offences beyond international guidelines and include the infliction of serious damage to any place of public use, the obstruction of essentials services , and participation in an unlawful assembly deemed by the government to be connected to ‘terrorism’. The law would also criminalise the distribution of materials or services that allow others to possess ‘terrorist publications’ and the publication of words or signs that may be understood by members of the public to conduct, encourage or induce a terrorist offence , among many new and arbitrary charges. The legislation has been announced after decades of local and international human rights abuses, often directed towards journalists, and ethnic and religious minorities. The bill is expected to be presented to the Sri Lankan Parliament in late April . “The proposed Anti-Terrorist Act is a condemnable and dangerous alternative to already flawed PTA , threatening to further undermine freedoms of expression, press, and assembly in Sri Lanka. If passed, journalists, media workers and their representative unions and organisations who are deemed critical of the Sri Lankan government face legal persecution under undemocratic and arbitrary ‘terrorist activities’. The IFJ said. Religious leaders, trade unions, and activists in Sri Lanka have branded a proposed anti-terrorism law unwanted and urged to diplomatic missions to intervene to roll it back . Over 450 activists said that the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) ,which will replace the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), is a more serious threat to democracy .