Committee Appointed to Repeal PTA

A special committee has been appointed to draft legislation to repeal Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), according to an announcement from the Ministry of Justice.

This committee will be chaired by President’s Counsel Rienzie Arsecularatne and is scheduled to begin public consultations in May. It has also been assigned the responsibility of gathering opinions from civil society groups as well as input from international organizations and stakeholders.

An initial meeting on the possible repeal of the PTA was held on April 11, chaired by the Minister of Justice and National Integration, Attorney-at-law Harsha Nanayakkara, at the Ministry’s headquarters.

During this discussion, the Justice Minister emphasized that abolishing the Prevention of Terrorism Act is part of the current government’s policy agenda. He also stressed that any replacement law must be capable of addressing global terrorist threats and related challenges, while upholding constitutionally protected human rights and internationally recognized standards of free expression.

The Ministry further stated that previous governments had failed to carry out these legal reforms responsibly. In contrast, the newly formed committee has been instructed to identify the key issues for repeal and present its recommendations within a short period.