Photo courtesy of Maatram
For decades human rights activists have highlighted the draconian nature of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), which promises safety and security, yet in practice makes each citizen vulnerable to being arbitrarily arrested, detained, tortured and even convicted of an offence the person did not commit. Despite the fact it contravenes Sri Lanka’s international obligations and constitutionally guaranteed fundamental rights, successive governments have not repealed it. Or they have proposed alternatives that extend the power of the state with few safeguards, or have contained safeguards that have been proven to be ineffective.
As I have previously written, privilege and class impact the manner in which those arrested for terror offences are perceived, not only by the state and the public, but also by human rights defenders and civic activists. It is therefore important to remind ourselves there are scores of persons whose names are not publicly known who