{
  "id": 17145952,
  "title": "HRW: Organised Crime Bill violates rights standards",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/29/hrw-organised-crime-bill-violates-rights-standards",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-29T23:45:31.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Island Sri Lanka",
    "slug": "the-island-sri-lanka",
    "url": "http://island.lk/hrw-organised-crime-bill-violates-rights-standards/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": null,
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}