Among the many political fallouts of the Easter attacks in Sri Lanka was the renewal of debates on the need for robust anti-terrorism laws. The government has sped up deliberations on a proposed law, Counter Terrorism Act (CTA), which seeks to replace the older, and notoriously draconian, Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA). But how necessary is a new anti-terror law? Will it reign in the excesses of the previous legislation? And how likely is the government to implement the law without bias?

In this episode of Himal Interviews, our Deputy Associate Editor Shubhanga Pandey talks to human-rights researcher and lawyer Gehan Gunatilleke to examine these questions. Gunatilleke describes the problems of the proposed law, the Sri Lankan state’s dubious record in prosecuting cases of mob violence, and the dangers of anti-fake-news laws.

Go to www.himalmag.com for more on politics and culture in Southasia.

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Intro and outro music derived from 'Ways of Rahjan' by Ask Again from Free Music Archive.