Human Rights Watch (HRW) has expressed concerns over what it termed as an alleged assault on Sri Lanka’s rule of law by the executive president. HRW also stated that the Government’s recent decision to pardon of 16 prisoners convicted under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), however welcome, does not address the urgent need to repeal what the HRW refers to as a draconian law. The law has long enabled arbitrary detention and confessions obtained through torture, and been used primarily against members of Tamil and Muslim minorities. Referring to the recent amendments made to the PTA, HRW alleged that such amendments have made the act even more “abusive”. United Nations experts and human rights groups including Human Rights Watch have extensively documented grave abuses under the PTA,” HRW concluded.

Source: The Nation June 29, 2021 06:00 UTC