The Bar Association of Sri Lanka urges the Government to consider to defer the recently gazetted ‘Anti Terrorism Bill’ until there is a wider stakeholder consultation and the concerns of stakeholders including the BASL are taken into account.
Issuing a media release the BASL further says that Bill has been published in the Gazette without adequate consultations with the relevant stakeholders including the BASL and warns that if passed into law will have far-reaching effects.
The statement further says
This Bill seeks to abolish the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and introduce an Anti-Terrorism Act. The BASL is of the view that no legislation should be introduced to curtail and suppress, directly or indirectly the fundamental rights of citizens, enshrined in the Constitution and that this Bill if passed into law, will have far-reaching effects.
the Bill has been published in the Gazette without adequate consultations with the relevant stakeholders including the BASL.
Therefore, the BASL urges the Government to consider deferring the Bill until there is a wider stakeholder consultation and the concerns of stakeholders including the BASL are taken into account. This statement had been issued by BASL President Kaushalya Nawaratne and its Secretary Isuru Balapatabendi.
