A group of Sri Lankans staged a protest outside the British Parliament in London on Sunday (November 1), calling for the repeal of existing anti-terrorism legislation and the withdrawal of proposed laws introduced by Sri Lanka’s National People’s Power (NPP) government.
The demonstration, held at Parliament Square in Westminster, was jointly organised by the People’s Struggle Movement (Sri Lanka) UK and the Mass Movement for Social Justice.
According to the organisers, members of Sri Lanka’s Sinhalese, Tamil, Muslim and Burgher communities participated in the protest.
Demonstrators called for the repeal of the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and opposed the proposed Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA) and Prevention of Organised Crimes Act (POCA).
The protesters described the legislation as oppressive and raised concerns over its potential impact on fundamental rights, civil liberties and democratic freedoms in Sri Lanka.
The demonstration comes amid concerns raised by human rights organisations over the proposed legislation, particularly provisions relating to detention, surveillance and restrictions on fundamental freedoms.
Human Rights Watch has previously criticised the proposed anti-terrorism legislation, warning that it could retain powers associated with human rights violations under the existing PTA.