  
Human Rights Watch has called on the Sri Lankan government to immediately withdraw a proposed organised crime bill, warning that the draft legislation threatens fundamental freedoms and risks replicating widespread abuses historically documented under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).
International rights monitors argue that the draft framework mirrors key problematic elements of the PTA, an emergency-era counterterrorism law that has long drawn intense criticism from legal experts, civil society groups, and international bodies for facilitating arbitrary detention, prolonged custody without trial, and severe human rights violations.
Key Concerns Raised
- The proposed legislation threatens to replicate long-standing abusive practices documented under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
- Civil society organizations and rights groups are formally calling on Sri Lankan authorities to scrap the draft bill entirely.
- Concerns focus on executive overreach, potential misuse against political dissidents, and the undermining of standard criminal justice protections.
The Prevention of Terrorism Act has faced years of scrutiny across Sri Lanka and internationally, with recurring demands from local communities and United Nations monitors to replace or repeal the law in favor of statutes that conform strictly to international human rights norms. Rights advocates emphasize that any new criminal justice framework must safeguard due process rather than expanding exceptional state powers under the banner of tackling organized crime.