Prevention of Terrorism (Temporary Provisions) Act No. 48 of 1979

Enacted 1979 as a 'temporary' security measure; made permanent in 1982; still in force in its core provisions as of the current era (Aarambam). Permits detention without charge for up to 18 months renewable, admits confessions made to police of ASP rank or above as evidence (reversing the standard evidentiary rule), and defines 'unlawful activity' broadly enough to encompass possession of literature and attendance at meetings. The UN Committee Against Torture (CAT/C/LKA/CO/5, 2017) found the PTA incompatible with Sri Lanka's CAT obligations. Successive replacement bills (Counter-Terrorism Act 2018, Anti-Terrorism Bill 2023, Online Safety Act 2024) have been criticised by OHCHR, the EU GSP+ process, the ICJ, and the UN Special Rapporteur on counter-terrorism as reproducing or worsening the PTA's defects.