(COLOMBO) – Amnesty International on Thursday decried the Online Safety Bill, passed in the Sri Lankan Parliament on Wednesday (Jan.24), describing it has a ‘major blow’ to human rights in the island nation.
Thyagi Ruwanpathirana, Regional Researcher for South Asia at the international rights organisation said this legislation is the ‘newest weapon in the government’s arsenal of tools’ that could be used to undermine freedom of expression and suppress dissent, local media reported.
She urged the Sri Lankan authorities to immediately withdraw the Online Safety Bill and ensure respect for the human rights of everyone in the country.
The Online Safety Bill, received the parliamentary majority, amidst objections from Opposition politicians and activists who warned that the new law would muzzle free speech.
The Online Safety Bill proposes jail terms for content that a five-member commission considers illegal and makes social media platforms such as Google, Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter), liable for those posted on their platforms.
Dismissing the accusations, the Government has defended the Bill, saying that it is aimed at battling cybercrimes including child abuse, data theft and online fraud.
Yet, many rights organizations, activists and civil society members, including the Asian Internet Coalition (AIC), International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), Bar Association of Sri Lanka (BASL), and Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) have voiced deep concerns about the problematic aspects of certain provisions of the Bill.
