The Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajith Premadasa meets representatives of diplomatic missions in Colombo
The Sri Lankan opposition leader Sajith Premadasa has warned that Sri Lanka could lose its European Union GSP+ trade concessions over the government’s proposed anti-terrorism and organised crime laws, as the country’s main business chamber raised similar concerns.
In a special statement on 29 October, Premadasa argued that the EU had called for the repeal of the existing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), not its replacement with similarly restrictive legislation, and that the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill (PSTA) could undermine civil, political and human rights.
He said the government was using national security legislation to suppress dissent and expand executive powers, and that the measures could jeopardise Sri Lanka’s preferential access to European export markets.
He accused the government of the Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake of seeking tough laws to suppress opposition and conceal its failure to deliver on election promises, and said the bill would give the government greater power to decide who could be classified as a terrorist. He urged it to abandon the legislation and instead introduce constitutional reforms to strengthen fundamental rights. The EU has not announced any decision on Sri Lanka’s GSP+ status.
The Ceylon Chamber of Commerce, Sri Lanka’s main private sector trade body, has called for the PSTA and the organised crime bill to be reviewed to ensure clear definitions, appropriate judicial oversight and adequate due process safeguards . Such measures were “essential to maintaining investor confidence, legal certainty, and Sri Lanka’s reputation as a predictable and rules-based destination for trade and investment”, the chamber said.
It stressed the importance of keeping GSP+ access, which it said plays a vital role in supporting exports, jobs and foreign exchange earnings, and urged that new legislation be aligned with Sri Lanka’s international commitments.
The chamber’s intervention means the bills are now facing objections from Sri Lanka’s business establishment, in addition to rights groups, civil society and Tamil political parties.
Protesters in Batticaloa hold placards against the proposed anti-terror law this month. File photograph
Premadasa had earlier met representatives of diplomatic missions and international organisations in Colombo to discuss the two bills, according to a statement from his office on 25 October. He said laws against terrorism and organised crime were necessary but must come with effective judicial oversight and safeguards against the misuse of executive power.
He called for the publication of expert assessments of the proposed laws, clear and proportionate definitions of offences, meaningful judicial control over detention, remand and bail, protection against coerced confessions and arbitrary searches, and consultation with the Bar Association, the Human Rights Commission and other stakeholders before the laws are passed. Former MP M.A. Sumanthiran and other current and former MPs who attended also raised concerns.
The Human Rights Commission said on 21 October that the organised crime bill was “wholly incompatible” with constitutional protections and Sri Lanka’s international obligations, warned that it could be more draconian than the PTA, and called for it to be withdrawn. The bill was gazetted with year-long detention powers .
The Bar Association has called for the organised crime bill to be withdrawn and for the PSTA to be withdrawn or amended. Human Rights Watch has said both bills replicate the PTA’s abuses and urged the EU to make clear they would not meet Sri Lanka’s GSP+ obligations, and the UN human rights office has said the PSTA repeats the failings of the PTA .
The PTA has been used for decades to detain Tamils without charge and has been linked to torture and forced confessions. Tamils across the North-East have protested against the PSTA , and the Supreme Court has begun hearing challenges to it. Premadasa himself said in 2022 that the PTA “cannot be tinkered with” and must be repealed.
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