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Sri Lankan Government’s Crackdown on Protesters Must End

The government of Sri Lanka has been attacking peaceful protesters and using the draconian Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to detain, torture, and stifle demonstrators, activists among other dissenters for over four decades. Now, the Sri Lankan authorities are attempting to whitewash their abuses by replacing the PTA with a new proposed law, the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA). The ATA is just as dangerous to the Sri Lankan people and must be dropped or substantially revised in line with international standards.

The people of Sri Lanka are bearing the brunt of a collapsing economy. Government corruption and impunity have imperiled lives and livelihoods, and squandered the country’s resources. In March 2022, Sri Lankans across the country responded with protests and calls for accountability.

The Sri Lankan authorities sought to crush this dissent through militarized intimidation, smear campaigns that demonize protestors and the weaponization of the draconian PTA, which has been used to detain protestors on trumped-up terror charges.

People have the right to express discontent peacefully and the state has an obligation to facilitate this right. Sri Lanka’s President Ranil Wickremesinghe must immediately stop the repression, intimidation and reprisals against peaceful protestors. The Sri Lankan government must protect the right to protest.

Send a message to Sri Lanka’s Minister of Justice, Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, and Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States, Mahinda Samarasinghe, urging them to work with the President of Sri Lanka to repeal the PTA and ensure no legislation is used to target dissent or prevent peaceful protest.

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Minister of Justice

Wijeyadasa

Rajapakshe

Minister of Justice

Ambassador of Sri Lanka

Mahinda

Samarasinghe

Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the United States

Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Your Excellency Mahinda Samarasinghe,

I write as an activist with Amnesty International with deep concerns about the safety of the people of Sri Lanka who are protesting for their rights to an adequate standard of living during a period of economic crisis. I find it alarming that the government of Sri Lanka under the leadership of President Ranil Wickremesinghe has weaponized the draconian anti-terror law Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) to arrest peaceful protestors to curb further demonstrations.

I am further concerned, by the newly announced replacement legislation, the Anti-Terrorism Act, which doesn’t comply with international standards and is as dangerous as the PTA for the people of Sri Lanka.

Detaining protestors using terror charges is a clear violation of the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly guaranteed by the Constitution of Sri Lanka and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Sri Lanka is a state party.

I respectfully request that the ATA is dropped or substantially revised to comply with Sri Lanka's obligations under international law, including satisfying the following benchmarks:

- Employ definitions of terrorism that comply with international norms;
- Ensure precision and legal certainty, especially when this legislation may impact the rights of freedom of expression, opinion, association and religion or belief;
- Institute provisions and measures to prevent and halt arbitrary deprivation of liberty;
- Ensure preventative measures are in place to prevent torture and enforced disappearance and adhere to their absolute prohibition; and
- Enable overarching due process and fair trial guarantees, including
judicial oversight and access to legal counsel.

The PTA has been used for over 40 years to enable prolonged arbitrary detention, extract false confessions through torture, and target minority communities and political dissidents in Sri Lanka. The repeal is long overdue. Any replacement to the PTA must comply with international standards; the ATA does not meet that test. Your government made a promise to respect and promote human rights. We implore you to end this injustice and uphold your obligations to the people of Sri Lanka.

Thank you,

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