Controversial online safety law sparks protests among Sri Lankan activists
Strict laws regulating online content have come into force in Sri Lanka, which rights groups say are aimed at suppressing free speech.
The Online Safety Act gives government commissions broad powers to assess and remove “banned” content.
Authorities say it will help fight cybercrime, but critics say it suppresses dissent ahead of the election.
Social media played a key role in the protests in 2022 when the economic crisis ousted the then-president.
The law was passed by a vote of 108-62 on January 24, sparking protests outside Parliament, and went into effect on Thursday after being approved by the speaker.
The wide-ranging law prohibits, among other things, “false statements about events in Sri Lanka,” statements with “express intent to hurt religious sentiments,” and the abuse of bots.
A five-member committee appointed by the president will be empowered to evaluate these comments, order their deletion, and impose penalties on those who made them.
The bill would also hold social media platforms accountable for the messages on their platforms.
Public Affairs and Security Minister Tiran Ares, who introduced the bill in parliament, said there was a need to tackle crimes related to online fraud and statements that threaten national stability.
He pointed out that more than 8,000 complaints related to cybercrime were filed last year.
Sri Lanka’s pro-democracy groups said Thursday that the government’s “resolute pursuit” of the bill, as the country is still reeling from the effects of its worst economic crisis, “silences dissent and stifles civil society.” “This is a clear sign of the government’s intention to do so.” .
Food prices and inflation have reached record levels since the country declared bankruptcy in April 2022 with more than $83 billion in debt. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was then forced to resign and leave the country as thousands of anti-government protesters stormed his presidential palace.
“While citizens suffer in silence amid rising costs of living and unmanageable hunger, it is vital that rulers recognize that this silence does not equate to obedience… “It portends a massive backlash against governance,” he said. A group known as the March 12th Movement.
Rights group Amnesty International said the law’s broad provisions and vague language limit people’s rights to freedom of expression and privacy online.
”[It] “This is the latest weapon in the government’s arsenal that can be used to violate freedom of expression and suppress dissent,” said the group’s South Asia regional researcher. Tyagi Ruwanpathirana said.
Last October, the United Nations Human Rights Office expressed concern about the bill, saying it would give authorities “unfettered discretion to label and restrict expressions with which they disagree as ‘false statements’.”
Sri Lanka’s next presidential election is expected to be held late this year or early next year.
