Former Foreign Affairs Minister and Joint Opposition Convener Prof. G.L. Peiris has warned that the proposed Organised Crime Bill and the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill could put Sri Lanka’s GSP+ trade concession at risk.
Speaking at a press conference in Colombo on Tuesday, Prof. Peiris said the two pieces of legislation were closely linked and could seriously damage the country’s international reputation, trade relations and investment prospects, the Daily Mirror reported.
He said Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva had already raised serious concerns over the two Bills and had advised the Government against passing them without fundamental amendments.
“The issue is not merely that these Bills could lead to widespread human rights violations. They also directly contradict the international commitments Sri Lanka has undertaken,” he said.
Why the trade link matters
GSP+ gives Sri Lankan exporters duty-free or reduced-duty access to the European Union market, and eligibility is conditional on implementing a set of international conventions, including on human rights. Prof. Peiris said criticism from the UN Human Rights Council was especially significant precisely because of that connection between human rights commitments and the continuation of the concession.
The concession was particularly important to export industries and services, he said, warning that losing it could have serious consequences for the economy and for exporters in particular.
He argued the two Bills should not be considered separately, as their combined effect could undermine fundamental rights and freedoms, and said the Government should reconsider the legislation in light of its possible impact on democratic freedoms, international relations and the economy.
Context
The two Bills have drawn sustained objection. Twenty-two petitions were filed against the Protection of the State from Terrorism Bill in the Supreme Court, election monitor PAFFREL wrote to party leaders over both Bills, and Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake has offered an open discussion on the terrorism Bill.
A note on the speaker’s office
Prof. Peiris is a former Foreign Affairs Minister, not the serving one; he now convenes the Joint Opposition. Earlier filings on his press appearances describe a separate briefing at former president Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Colombo office, at which he raised police powers for the armed forces rather than the trade concession.
Not reported
The filing does not state when either Bill is scheduled for debate, give a Government response, or cite any EU statement on the concession. No second verified newsroom had carried this press conference at the time of writing.