Human rights organizations, including political and civil society, have long called for a review of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act, which was brought in as a temporary bill in the late seventies, has been a source of persecution to many people in the North and East, as well as to minorities in the recent past.
Therefore, international human rights organizations have called on Sri Lanka to immediately amend or repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act. However, President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa has taken steps to amend the bill. It was also stated at the recent International Human Rights Conference in Geneva.
Accordingly, the President appointed an Official Committee on 24 June 2021 to make recommendations to the Cabinet Sub-Committee on the Review of the Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act, No. 48 of 1979.
The other members of the committee are chaired by Defense Secretary Retired General Kamal Gunaratne, Secretary to the Ministry of Justice M.M.P.K Mayadunne, Retired Major General Jagath Alwis, Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security, IGP C.D. Wickramaratne, Retired Major General Ruwan Kulatunga, Chief of National Intelligence, Legal – Draftsman, Dilrukshi Samaraweera,, Additional Secretary to the Ministry of Justice Piumanthi Peiris, Additional Solicitor General Nerin Pulle, Deputy Legal Adviser to the Ministry of External Affairs Thilani Silva and Deputy Director of the Ministry of External Affairs Mahesha Jayawardena were the other members of the committee.
Miss. Jeewanthi Senanayake, Senior Assistant Secretary to the President, served as the Secretary of the Officers’ Committee. The report of their committee was presented to President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa at the Presidential Secretariat yesterday (15). Its Chairman, Defense Secretary Retired General Kamal Gunaratne presented the first copy of the report to the President.