Category: Breaking News

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) states that Sri Lanka’s proposed Online Safety Bill will create broad and vague new speech-related offences punishable by lengthy prison terms, while critically threatening the right to freedom of expression.

“A repressive new internet law that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe is trying to rush through parliament this week would create broad and vague new speech-related offences punishable by lengthy prison terms. The law would seriously threaten the right to freedom of expression as Sri Lanka prepares for parliamentary and presidential elections later this year”, it said in a statement.

The proposed law, the Online Safety Bill, purportedly provides protections against online harassment, abuse, and fraud, the statement mentioned, highlighting that instead, it is mostly concerned with creating a new “Online Safety Commission,” appointed by the president, that can decide what online speech is “false” or “harmful,” remove content, restrict and prohibit internet access, and prosecute individuals and organizations.

Furthermore, the international non-governmental organization also states that the commission-appointed “experts” would be empowered to enter and search suspects’ premises. Offences under the law carry hefty fines and prison sentences up to five years. The United Nations Human Rights Office said the law “could potentially criminalize nearly all forms of legitimate expression, creating an environment that has a chilling effect on freedom of expression.”

The Asia Internet Coalition, an industry body including tech giants such as Google, Apple, and Meta, has called the bill a “draconian system to stifle dissent” and warned it “could undermine the potential growth of Sri Lanka’s digital economy”, it added.

“Sri Lanka is still reeling from an economic crisis partly caused by misgovernment and failures of accountability. In 2022, months-long protests demanding reform toppled the prime minister and president. Since coming to power that year, President Wickremesinghe has moved to stifle dissent.”

“Other repressive legislation before parliament includes a new broadcasting law, which the UN experts say could be used to ‘suppress dissenting voices,’ and a counterterrorism law that ‘grants wide powers to the police – and to the military – to stop, question and search, and to arrest and detain people, with inadequate judicial oversight’”, the statement mentioned.

Meanwhile, it has also expressed that according to the International Monetary Fund, which is supporting Sri Lanka’s economy, restrictions on civil society, including the “broad application of counter-terrorism rules,” already limit “oversight and monitoring of government actions,” contributing to “severe governance weaknesses and corruption vulnerabilities.”

Sri Lanka’s repressive laws have facilitated widespread human rights violations for decades and contributed to economic and political crises, the Human Rights Watch stressed, adding that passing the Online Safety Bill would be a ‘disastrous setback’.

A protest took place near Gandhi Park in Batticaloa yesterday (22) against two draft laws presented by the government.

Civil society activists held the agitation over the anti-terrorism and online safety bills.

Carrying placards, they marched from Kallady Bridge with calls to the government to safeguard fundamental rights, right to expression and assembly, and to respect human rights.

Among the protestors was former state minister Ali Zahir Moulana.

Police banned a one-day hunger strike planned after the protest.

The two proposed laws are coming under local and international condemnation.

MP Ven. Athuraliye Rathana Thera has declined to comment on the murder of his party’s leader.

Chief of Apey Janabala Party Saman Perera was among the five persons gunned down in Beliatta yesterday morning (22).

Rathana Thera has been elected to parliament on the party’s national list.

Meanwhile, the Colombo chief magistrate’s court issued notice yesterday on Perera to appear before the court on 04 June.

That is related to a case in connection with death threats alleged to have been received by Rathana Thera over the phone.

The court had not been informed about Perera’s murder.

Sri Lanka might lose access to international platforms such as Google and Meta (formerly Facebook) with the introduction of the Online Safety Bill, Member of Parliament Eran Wickremeratne said in parliament.

“Once this law is introduced, they will review the offences they would be accused of and most likely close up its access to users in Sri Lanka. Further, if the Sri Lankan government requests for certain information from Google, they will most likely not comply anymore as it may be self incriminating,” Wickremeratne said on Tuesday (22) when the bill was being debated.

He was responding to the opening statement to the bill presented by Minister of Public Security Tiran Alles.

“The minister spoke about intermediaries, and that they were in agreement [with the bill]. But, it should be said that they are not in favour of the bill, of which they will express their displeasure through their own social media platforms,” the minister said, referring to representatives of information technology platforms.

In September 2023 the Asia Internet Coalition released a statement saying that it had concerns over the government’s push for the Online Safety Bill “without undertaking any stakeholder consultation”.

Notable members co-signing the statement were Google, Meta, X, LinkedIn, Apple, Spotify and Bookings.com.

“While our member companies take seriously the online safety of those who use their services, legislation should not dampen innovation by restricting public debate and the exchange of ideas that can consequently impact the digital economy.”

“We strongly urge the Government to work closely with industry stakeholders to develop regulations that are proportionate, reasonable, consistent with international best practices, and most importantly, support the growth of Sri Lanka’s nascent digital economy.”

Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court said in November that the controversial bill was eligible to be passed in parliament, once subject to amendments to 31 of its provisions.

Among the offences listed in the draft bill were the communication of false statements on incidents within Sri Lanka, false statements causing defamation, disturbing religious assembly through false statements, communication of false statements with the sole intention of hurting religious emotions, communication of false statements with the sole intention for the abomination of religious emotions.

In addition to the online truths, the bullet points also included criminal activities such as fraud, cheating and child abuse, as part of ‘Online Safety’.

The MP said that he had received the bill in its full form from the legal draftsman’s office only yesterday.

“Yesterday we went to the Sectoral Oversight Comittee, that was the first time we received the legal draftsman’s department’s copy. Other parliamentary ministers are likely to have never seen this.”

The MP said that the bill, which is meant to stringently regulate online platform use, will create a great risk for locals and foreigners.

“We shouldn’t just dwell on whether this is constitutional or not. We have to go beyond that… We as participants in a global digital economy, abide by international conventions such as the ICCPR.”

The minister said that creating avenues for dollar revenues through the technological and internet based sector is key. “That is why we should introduce laws that do not hinder the economy.”

Will the government accelerate the proposal for construction of a sea bridge linking India’s Dhanushkodi— believed to be the place where Lord Ram had ordered Hanumana to build a bridge to carry his army across to Sri Lanka—with Talaimannar? Sources said the government is likely to carry out a feasibility study soon for building the 23-km bridge.

India and Sri Lanka had agreed to examine the viability for developing land access to the ports of Trincomalee and Colombo during Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s visit to Delhi last July. Following this, the external affairs ministry (MEA) had held a meeting with other ministries and government agencies on this issue. Sources said the MEA officials had informed the meeting about its plan to carry out the feasibility study for the bridge before preparing a detailed plan.

“A host of issues pertaining to other sectors including dairy, oil, power and shipping which came up during Wickremesinghe’s visit were also discussed at the meeting. The long sea bridge would require huge funds, but it will prove to be a boon for bilateral trade. But for that, the government has to evaluate technical, economic, and environmental aspects to see whether it’s viable,” a source said.

The need for this sea bridge has been part of discussions for more than a decade. In December 2015, Union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari had spoken about the plan to build a road-cum rail bridge following his meeting with Wickremesinghe.