Sri Lanka bans ISIS, Al Qaeda

Any person who conspires with them will be jailed for 10-20 yrs, warns govt

Colombo, April 14: Sri Lanka has banned 11 hardline Islamist organisations, including the Islamic State (IS) and alQaeda, for their links to extremist activities in the country and warned that any person who conspires with them would be sentenced to prison terms between 10 and 20 years, according to an official announcement.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in a special gazette notification issued on Tuesday proscribed the radical groups under the Prevention of Terrorism (temporary) Provisions Act. The notification specifies that any person who acts in contravention or conspires to act would be sentenced to prison terms between 10 and 20 years.

The Government of Sri Lanka proscribed the 11 extremist organisations "in good faith for the purpose of ensuring the continuance of peace within the country and in the interest of national security, public order, and the rule of law,” the notification stated. Obtaining membership, dealing with their members, promoting such organisations, providing refuge for members, donating money or material, or engaging in any transaction

are prohibited.

Among the banned organisations are local Muslim groups, including the Sri Lanka Islamic Students Movement. In the

immediate aftermath of the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks, Sri Lanka had banned the local Jihadi group National Thowheeth Jamaath (NTJ)

and two other outfits. The NTJ suicide bomb attacks on churches and luxury hotels here had killed 270 people while injuring 500 others.