The Sri Lankan government’s proposed new counterterrorism legislation allows wide scope for abuse and poses serious threats to human rights, said Amnesty International in a new legal analysis.

Despite some improvements on the previous white paper of the law issued in late 2025, the Protection of the State from Terrorism bill, which will replace the repressive and long-standing Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), retains an overly broad and ambiguous definition of terrorism that leaves room for arbitrary interpretation and the potential criminalization of dissent, protest, and the activities of civil society organizations.

The bill, which was tabled on 6 October, is now before the Supreme Court to check its compatibility with Sri Lanka’s Constitution.…