Sri Lanka Under Fire For Using The PTA
Date
8/22/2022 3:30:07 PM
(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette)
Sri Lanka has come under strong criticism by the international community for using the draconian Prevention of terrorism Act (ACT).
The United States, the EU and Canada are among the countries that have raised concerns over the use of the PTA on protesters in Sri Lanka.
“Using laws that don't conform with international human rights standards – like the PTA – erodes democracy in Sri Lanka. We encourage the government to uphold the rights of the people to express their views,” the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung tweeted.
The EU reminded the Government about the commitment it gave on the moratorium on the use of the PTA.
“Concerned about reports on the use of the Prevention of Terrorism Act in recent arrests as we refer to information given by #GoSL to the International Community about the de-facto moratorium of the use of #PTA,” the EU delegation in Sri Lanka tweeted.
The Canadian High Commissioner to Sri Lanka, David McKinnon urged the authorities in Sri Lanka to reconsider the decision to use the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
“We encourage authorities in #SriLanka to reconsider the decision to use the Prevention of Terrorism Act given the #PTA is widely seen as inconsistent with democratic norms and respect for human rights,” he tweeted.
The Ministry of Defence had today approved a 90-day Detention Order (DO) under the PTA on the Convenor of the Inter-University Students Federation (IUSF) Wasantha Mudalige.
Mudalige was arrested following a protest staged in Colombo last week. (Colombo Gazette)
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