HRW: Organised Crime Bill violates rights standards
The Sri Lankan government’s Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill, submitted to pParliament on October 20, 2026, risks enabling arbitrary detention, torture, and other rights violations, Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said. The following is the text of the statement issued from HRW New York Office: The proposed law, alongside the Protection of the State from […]
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has criticized Sri Lanka's proposed Prevention of Organised Crimes Bill, stating that it risks enabling arbitrary detention, torture, and other rights violations. The bill, which was submitted to Parliament on October 20, 2026, has been likened to existing counterterrorism laws that had previously been pledged to be abolished by the government.
The bill defines "serious crime" as any offense punishable with at least four years in prison and lists a large number of offenses under other laws, giving authorities extraordinary authority in a wide range of ill-defined circumstances. The bill also allows for detention orders of up to a year without judicial oversight, raising concerns about the potential for torture and rights violations.
Brief written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
