Sri Lanka has again declared its commitment to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) during the recently concluded talks with the European Union.

At the eighth meeting of the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission, held in Colombo, Sri Lankan representatives “confirmed the commitment to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and briefed the Working Group on the timeline to replace it with new counter-terrorism legislation in compliance with international norms and standards.”

The PTA has long drawn criticism from civil society, rights organisations, and international observers. The law has enabled arbitrary detention and torture for decades, particularly against Tamils. Despite repeated pledges by successive governments, no comprehensive repeal has yet materialised.

Though the National People’s Power (NPP)-backed government has stated its commitment to repeal the PTA during election campaigns last year, once in power it has not yet taken legislative action to do so.

The following is the text of the joint statement issued by the government and the EU: The eighth meeting of the Working Group on Governance, Rule of Law and Human Rights under the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission was held in Colombo on 5 May.

The Working Group discussed a range of matters of mutual interest, including efforts to combatting corruption, upholding human rights including labour rights; rights of persons belonging to minorities; women’s rights; child rights; a conducive space for civil society; strengthening electoral processes; and preventing discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation.

During the discussions, the European Union congratulated Sri Lanka on the well-organised and peaceful Presidential and Parliamentary elections last year and Sri Lanka appreciated the European Union Election Observation Mission at the Presidential elections.

The European Union also congratulated Sri Lanka on the stabilisation of the economy, continued efforts towards recovery and important initiatives such as the Government Action Plan for the implementation of governance reforms based on the IMF recommendations. Sri Lanka briefed the European Union on the adoption of the National Action Plan to Combat Corruption as well as steps taken to strengthen the Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC). The EU and Sri Lanka agreed on the importance of governance and judicial processes to strengthen the rule of law. The Sri Lanka side briefed the EU on the steps being taken by the Government since its election to strengthen the democratic process, governance, rule of law and the legal framework for protecting and promoting human rights. They agreed on the important role of civil society organisations, particularly in fostering inclusive and consultative legislative processes within democratic societies.

The Working Group reiterated its shared commitment to promote and protect human rights and to collaborate, as applicable, on the effective implementation of international human rights instruments. Sri Lanka confirmed the commitment to repeal the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), and briefed the Working Group on the timeline to replace it with new counter-terrorism legislation in compliance with international norms and standards. The European Union recalled the need to bring relevant legislation in line with international Human Rights and ILO conventions to ensure continued access to the European market through the GSP+ trade preferences.

The European Union welcomed the commitment of the Government to end discrimination and build national unity, as well as the pledge to strengthen the truth and reconciliation framework in Sri Lanka, through an inclusive and participative process of all communities.

The EU and Sri Lanka reiterated their commitment to continue to work in the multilateral UN framework and continue their engagement with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Council.

The European Union and Sri Lanka also reaffirmed their shared commitment to continuing to support a multilateral, rules-based international order grounded in international law, with the United Nations at its core.

The conclusions and recommendations of the Working Group will be reported to the EU-Sri Lanka Joint Commission to be held in Colombo during the latter half of the year.

The Delegation of Sri Lanka was led by Sugeeshwara Gunaratna, Director-General/ Europe and North America Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism. The Delegation of the European Union was led by Charles Whiteley, Head of the South Asia Division of the European External Action Service.