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Sri Lanka targets dissident websites
AFP:Sri Lanka yesterday warned websites to register with the authorities after the United States expressed deep concern over Colombo’s blocking of a popular Internet-based dissident publication.
The Ministry of Mass Media and Information said many reports posted on dissident websites amounted to character assassination of President Mahinda Rajapakse, his ministers and top officials.
“This ministry believes that those who are operating and maintaining these clandestine websites have been doing so to discredit the government, the head of state,” the ministry said in a statement.
“Such slanderous publications should not only be discouraged but also acts of this nature would have to be effectively prevented in the interest of the general public.”
It said the websites should register with the ministry at the earliest, but did not say which laws were being used against dissident websites. It did not specify penalties for those who fail to comply.
Us Ambassador to Sri Lanka Patricia Butenis
However, the statement came four days after the US embassy in Colombo said that freedom of expression, including unfettered access to Internet news websites, was a basic right which must be respected by Sri Lankan authorities.
“While the embassy does not endorse the views of any particular media outlet, the United States believes that a free and independent media is vital to ensuring the health and continuation of any democracy,” the embassy said.
“Freedom of expression, including unfettered access to Internet news websites, is a basic right which must be respected,” the statement added.
The statement came after the anti-government Lanka-e-News website was blocked.
The Tamilnet website, which was previously a pro-Tamil rebel website, has been blocked for the past two and half years.
Sri Lanka began web censorship in June 2007 with the blocking of the pro-rebel Tamilnet.com website at a time when security forces stepped up their attacks against the rebels who were eventually defeated by May 2009.
However, since then many website which are openly anti-government have been blocked by Sri Lankan authorities.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused the government of stifling media freedoms, a charge denied by the
authorities.