On 22 March 2025, Mohamed Rushdie, a young salesman at a shopping mall in Colombo was arrested and subsequently detained under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) for allegedly displaying a sticker critical of Israeli military actions in Gaza. The 90-day detention order, authorised by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in his role as Minister of Defense, cited “associating with members of extremist or terrorist organizations, motivated by extremist ideologies and acting in a manner detrimental to peace and harmony among communities and knowingly concealing such information from security forces.” The invocation of this draconian law against a peaceful act of protest starkly contradicts President Dissanayake’s own campaign promise to repeal the PTA.
In response, demonstrators—including human rights advocates and members of the public—took to the streets to protest what was widely viewed as yet another blatant misuse of the PTA, raising serious concerns over the suppression of freedom of expression and speech.