Rights groups press for repeal of Prevention of Terrorism Act

International calls mounted for the release of a Sri Lankan human rights lawyer and the repeal of anti-terror laws used to detain him for 15 months.

Eleven rights groups, including Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the International Commission of Jurists urged Sri Lanka to free Hejaaz Hizbullah who has been held since April last year, according to AFP.

Hizbullah’s case has also been highlighted by the UN Human Rights Council and the European parliament this year.

“Hizbullah is one of many people detained for inordinate lengths of time without due process under Sri Lanka’s draconian counter-terrorism laws,” the rights groups said in a statement.

They called for the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act which allows for the prolonged detention of suspects without judicial review.

“We are deeply concerned by Sri Lanka’s continuing use of the PTA to enable arbitrary detention, despite commitments made to repeal the act,” the statement said.