The Professional Web Journalists Association (PWJA) said during a press conference yesterday that the blocking of social media sites by the government was a bad and ill timed decision and that it failed to address the real issue of racism.
Convener of the PWJA, Freddie Gamage said the government could have used existing laws to prevent the propagation of hate speech and punished those instigating violence, instead of blocking social media. Gamage called the shutdown a move toward a censorship of the media.
“The real racists are not hiding on Facebook, they are out in the open,” one of the members said. They stressed the importance of Facebook and social media for many people including online businesses. “Many businesses operate on social media,” they said. “How can these people carry out their operations now?”
Although the Sri Lankan government said that they would only keep the ban for a 72 hour period, there are no signs of the ban being lifted even though that period has long passed. Under these circumstances, the PWJA requested the government to lift the ban immediately without inconveniencing the public further.
Leave your comments
Login to post a comment
Post comment as a guest