Former Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL) President Saliya Pieris, PC, has said the Protection of the State from Terrorism (PSTA) Bill tabled in Parliament departs from what the committee reviewing it agreed, mainly on bail and the extension of detention.
In a social media post, Pieris said he sat on the committee as the BASL’s nominee. He said members were not told of the changes, the reasons for them or who made them, and that he wrote to the committee chairman on Tuesday.
According to Pieris, the committee agreed to limit the period of detention and to let Magistrates grant bail where there is no material against a suspect. He said he disagreed with the majority report on the definition of terrorism, administrative detention and the power to proscribe organisations.
He said the Bill’s definition of terrorism is too broad, and that detention orders and proscription should rest with a judicial authority rather than the Secretary to a Ministry. He warned the Bill could be misused in the way he said the Prevention of Terrorism Act, which it is meant to replace, has been.
The Bill is before Parliament.
