Sri Lanka unions protest bills expanding police powers and warn of abuses

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) — Trade unions and political activists rallied in Sri Lanka’s capital on Friday against anti-terrorism and anti-crime bills, saying they would give sweeping powers to law enforcement authorities and could lead to abuses.

The bills — the protection of the state from terrorism and prevention of organized crimes — were submitted to Parliament, which has scheduled a debate and vote in the coming weeks.

Human Rights Watch said that the proposed counterterrorism law is too broad in scope and provide inadequate judicial oversight, sweeping powers of search and arrest for the armed forces, and executive authority to curtail freedom of speech and movement.

The bill seeks to replace legislation that critics say has enabled arbitrary detention and the torture of detainees for decades in Sri Lanka.

Government spokesman Nalinda Jayatissa on Tuesday rejected the allegations by rights activists and said that the proposed laws would not harm trade unions or media freedoms.

“These are clearly draconian laws,” trade union activist Saman Rathnapriya said, adding that “anyone can be turned into a terrorist by these laws.”

He said the government had no right to bring such oppressive laws because “they have protested against such laws when they were in the opposition.”

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s National People’s Power alliance came to power in 2024, pledging to abolish “all oppressive laws.”

Dissanayake’s victory in the presidential election that year was seen as a rejection of the political old guard that was blamed for an unprecedented economic crisis following decades of mismanagement and corruption.

Rathnapriya said the government has failed to revive the economy.

“Fearing that people might revolt against them, the government is now attempting to bring in tough laws in a bid to suppress any future public protests,” he said, adding that protests would continue if the bills were not withdrawn.