DailyMirror
International human rights defenders –Amnesty International– has called on Sri Lanka’s first post-war parliament to get rid of draconian emergency laws which has allowed widespread human rights abuses to continue for decades.
Ahead of the first sitting of Sri Lanka’s first post-war Parliament on April 22, Amnesty International called on Sri Lanka to lift the State of Emergency that has been in force almost continuously since 1971 and to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act and other associated security laws and regulations.
It has called on the new parliament to replace this draconian set of regulations with human rights-friendly laws.
In its statement, Amnesty International added the emergency laws grant state authorities sweeping powers of detention and permit the use of secret prisons, a practice that encourages human rights abuses like enforced disappearances, torture and death in custody, which could constitute crimes under international law.
In the last thirty years, thousands of Sri Lankans have spent years in detention without trial.
Additionally Amnesty has pointed out over the past year government had increasingly used these laws to crack down on journalists, political opponents, and trade unionists.
“Sri Lanka must repeal these laws and end impunity for human rights violations if it wants to move forward,” said Madhu Malhotra, Amnesty International’s Asia-Pacific Deputy Director. “The Prevention of Terrorism Act, the Public Security Ordinance and other emergency provisions in Sri Lanka enable the security forces to systematically violate human rights.”Since the war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) ended almost a year ago, Sri Lankan legislators have continued to extend the State of Emergency on a monthly basis. Successive governments have ignored calls for repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act.
“The war is over. Perpetuation of the emergency is now being used as a weapon against political opposition, and as a quick fix for poor law enforcement practices and a dysfunctional justice systems,” said Madhu Malhotra.
Amnesty International is calling on the new parliament to press for the release of people detained under Sri Lanka’s emergency laws unless they are charged with an internationally recognized criminal offence, and are tried in regular civilian courts with international standards for fair trial.