Sri Lanka is in a state of emergency and an island curfew has been imposed since Saturday. The government got a head start on Sunday morning and blocked all social media and messaging apps. However, they restored access after a nationwide backlash.
The Sri Lanka Bar Association has condemned the social media ban. They said social media is “as important as traditional media” and is a “vital aspect” of freedom of expression. The opposition has also criticized the government for its underuse of freedom of expression.
The curfew was imposed by President Rajapaksa. The curfew order stated: “No one shall be on any public road, railway, public park, public recreation ground or other public land or by the sea”, until 6 a.m. on Monday, April 4, 2022. Police arrested more than 660 people for violating curfew.
Earlier, police arrested government spokesperson Anurudda Bandara, for allegedly running a Facebook page called “Gota Go Home”. However, he was later released on bail.
Easwaran Rutnam, Senior Reporter, said: “The ban is obviously an attempt to restrict freedom of expression as the government faces mounting public criticism. This particularly affects small news websites that rely heavily on social media for their operations,”
