Sri Lanka is in the state of an emergency and an island curfew is imposed since Saturday. The government a step ahead on Sunday morning and blocked all social media and messaging applications. However, they reinstated the access after nationwide backlash.

Bar Association of Sri Lanka has condemned the social media ban. They said it social media is “as important as traditional media” and is a “vital aspect” of the freedom of speech. Opposition also criticized the government for subotaging freedom of expression.

The curfew was imposed by President Rajapaksa. The curfew order said, “No person shall be on any public road, railway, Public Park, public recreation ground or other public ground or the seashore”, until 6 a.m. on Monday, April 4, 2022. Police have arrested over 660 persons for violating the curfew.

Earlier, police detained government critic Anurudda Bandara, for ostensibly managing a Facebook page named ‘Gota Go Home’. However, he was got bailed later.

Easwaran Rutnam, senior journalist said, “The ban is obviously an attempt to curb Freedom of Expression when the government faces growing public criticism. This especially affects smaller news websites that rely heavily on social media for their operations,”