The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka has ruled that the arrest and detention of former Western Province Governor Azath Salley in 2021, under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), was unlawful.
In its judgment, the Court ordered the respondents, including former Public Security Minister Sarath Weerasekara and the then Director of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), to pay Rs. 75,000 as compensation to Salley.
Salley was arrested on March 16, 2021, for remarks made during a press briefing on March 9, 2021, which authorities claimed incited religious disharmony. Following his detention of nearly nine months, he was acquitted of all charges by the Colombo High Court on December 2, 2021.
The former Governor and leader of the National Unity Alliance has since announced plans to lodge a complaint with the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL), asserting that his arrest violated his fundamental rights.
This ruling marks a significant rebuke of the use of the PTA and has reignited calls for reforms to prevent misuse of anti-terror legislation.
