Comprehensive legal framework to be introduced for national security

The Cabinet of Ministers has green-lighted the proposal to appoint a committee to prepare a preliminary draft for a comprehensive legal framework on national security, taking into account the relevant international standards and recommendations on the protection of human rights and paying attention to all relevant issues.

The proposal was tabled by President Ranil Wickremesinghe, in his capacity as the Minister of Defence, Minister of Justice, Prison Affairs & Constitutional Reforms Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Sabry.

The government says the need for a comprehensive national security legal framework to address the weakness of the existing anti-terrorism laws, to face such acts, to enforce the law, to further strengthen investigative and monitoring tools has been identified for introducing provisions to deal with new dimensions of terrorism and violent extremism.