The Rise of the Panopticon State
“Hence the major effect of the Panopticon: to induce in the inmate a state of conscious and permanent visibility that assures the automatic functioning of power.” Michel Foucault Although now contested, news…
Media and Communications
The Online Safety Bill: A Trojan Horse
On September 18, 2023, the Government of Sri Lanka published a Bill titled “Online Safety” and this was subsequently tabled in parliament on October 3. The Bill aims to establish an Online…
Responsible Reporting Required
Sexual and reproductive awareness is essential for the health of all human beings but it is often neglected or stigmatized in Sri Lanka. The recent Covid pandemic and economic crisis have shown…
2023: A Year of Struggle for Survival
In 2023 Sri Lanka was struggling to come out of the economic meltdown with aid from the IMF, which required many austerity measures that impacted severely much of the population. People had…
Freedom of Movement in Sri Lanka and Human Rights Commission
On December 8, 2023, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) determined that the Navy had violated my right to freedom of movement by blocking me from traveling to the remote…
Falsehood vs. Free Speech: Competing Narratives of the Online Safety Bill
In the last two decades, the internet has connected millions of people across the globe and not only changed how humans interact with each other but also transformed the internet space as…
Impact of Internet Intermediaries on Digital Spaces and Human Rights
Since September 2023, the discourses on online safety and digital spaces in Sri Lanka have been dominated by the implications of the proposed Online Safety Bill. The Bill has attracted criticism for…
Challenges in Addressing Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists in Sri Lanka
In a report on Sri Lanka presented to the UN Human Rights Council in September 2023, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights had stated, “lack of accountability at all levels remains…
Kanesh Thabendran: Remembering the Past and Uncovering the Truth
For most of his life, 35 year old artist Kanesh Thabendran has lived in a war zone where every day was a struggle for survival amid exploding bombs and falling artillery shells.…
UK and Sri Lanka: A Comparison of Two Online Safety Bills
On September 18, the government gazetted a Bill titled Online Safety to establish the Online Safety Commission and to regulate certain contents from the online spaces. Amid the heightened attention, discourse and…
Will the Online Safety Commission Keep People Safe Online?
pwc In an era where the digital landscape has become an integral part of our lives, ensuring online safety has never been more crucial. As the online realm grapples with issues like…
The Online Safety Act: A Trojan Horse for Authoritarianism
The draft of Sri Lanka’s Online Safety Act, published last week, is draconian, dangerous, and it should come as no surprise, also dumb. I’ve not studied any vocal support of the draft,…
After the Fact
The family of Amal Sanderatne shared a public message, which was courageous and honest in the context of the stigma that has cloaked the issue of mental health and suicidal ideation in…
An Analysis of Freedom of Expression in Sri Lanka and Myanmar
Sri Lanka and Myanmar were both once colonized by the British and gained independence in the same year, 1948. That is not the only similarity these two countries share; both enjoy strong…
Press Freedom in Cyber Civilization
Brief Generations of Sri Lankans have experienced many curfews and states of emergency and also experienced the bloody harm suffered by curfew violators. But successive insurgencies spanning all parts of the country…
