New counterterrorism framework gets Cabinet nod

• New Bill to follow UK Counter-Terrorism Act 
• Committee appointed to study existing laws of other countries and report to Cabinet 
  
   

By Chathuri Dissanayake

The Cabinet this week approved a legal framework for counterterrorism, to prevent the rise of new terrorist groups, prohibit encouragement and recruitment, and place restrictions on groups controlled from a designated foreign area.  

Noting the introduction of new legal measures to prevent the rise of terrorist groups in the future is a timely need, Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe told the Cabinet that the new framework is “aimed at preventing people becoming terrorists,” media briefing notes issued by the Cabinet Office said.  Prime Minister told Cabinet that although those responsible for Easter Sunday blasts, “Zahran’s group, including his associates, have been identified, arrested, and made inoperative … it will not be the end of ISIS terrorism in Sri Lanka.”

 Wickremesinghe’s proposal notes that the Government has to “implement new laws and legal measures to prevent the rise of new ISIS terrorist groups, having as its objective preventing people from becoming terrorists.”

Justifying the need for the legal reforms, the Prime Minister notes that the country currently has no legal provisions to deal with the developing situation, and that new laws are needed to cover a number of areas such as: “temporary restriction orders, prohibition on encouragement of terrorism, control of being in a designated foreign area, and biometric data.”

The Cabinet Memorandum presented proposed to examine the UK Counter-Terrorism Act, since measures to address modern terrorism issues were first introduced there. 

The proposal highlights the need for introduction of a new definition for terrorism, and new offences included in the UK Counter-Terrorism Act, such as encouragement of terrorism, dissemination of terrorist publication, preparation of terrorist acts, training for terrorism, attendance at a placed used for terrorist training, making and possession of devices and material for terrorism, and encouragement of terrorism and dissemination of terrorist literature on the Internet. 

Further, the proposal highlighted the need to focus on dealing with issues such as commission of offences abroad, offence of entering or remaining in designated areas overseas, extra-territorial jurisdiction, prevention of travel outside the country, taking part in terrorist activities, and offence of collecting information useful for a person preparing an act of terrorism. 

A Cabinet Committee under the Chairmanship of Foreign Affairs Minister Tilak Marapana is to be appointed to study the laws pertaining to the matter available in the UK and other countries, and to present a report on the issue, the Cabinet Office website said.