Access to social media was cut off, many journalists have been harassed or attacked by police and at least nine have been injured in the course of the anti-government protests under way in Sri Lanka since March 31.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has urged the government to let the media do its job, as this would help to end the crisis in the best manner possible. The suppression of news and information was almost certainly the Sri Lankan government’s undeclared goal when it blocked social media throughout the island on 3 April, at a time when a curfew had already been in effect for 36 hours, backed by a state of emergency.
The large spontaneous demonstrations that erupted in the streets of Colombo, the capital, on the evening of March 31 are linked to an economic crisis, shortages and a decline in living conditions. Protests are continuing across the island.
Access to social media was finally restored after 15 hours of total blackout, but people have seen a sharp fall in Internet speed, several sources have told RSF. At the same time, many reporters trying to cover the protests have been subjected to often violent obstruction by police officers, above all members of the specially deployed Special Task Force (STF).
“Consultation is the best way out of this type of crisis and, to that end, all actors must be able to benefit from the reliable, verified and updated reporting that it is journalists’ job to provide,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.
“This is why we are calling on President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to immediately end all attacks on social media on the island and to allow reporters to freely cover these historic protests. The attacks against them under the state of emergency are absolutely unacceptable.”
In a statement issued during first week of April, the spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights voiced concern about the measures taken by the Sri Lankan authorities under the state of emergency because “they frustrate the exchange of views on matters of public interest.”
