Speaker urged not to endorse Online Safety Bill without ensuring SC directives included

Key journalistic outfits and civil society organizations in the country collectively wrote to Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardhana requesting him not to endorse the controversial Online Safety Bill without verifying Supreme Court directives have been fully adhered to alleging that the new law "completely endangers freedom of expression should be rejected outright". 

Sri Lanka Working Journalists Association, Free Media Movement (FMM),  dozens of grassroots-level organizations, human rights activists and journalists signed the collective letter explaining the danger the new bill posed to free speech and the right to express one self as guaranteed in the Consitution. 

"As citizens holding the sovereignty of the country, we, the undersigned, express our strong objection to the hasty passage of the bill on 24 January in the parliament, sans discussion with any stakeholder, and ignoring the directives of the Supreme Court,"  the letter stressed.

MPs of the opposition parties have pointed out that the bill was debated and passed in the parliament without the proper inclusion of amendments and guidelines directed by the Supreme Court. Those amendments and guidelines were issued by the Supreme Court after taking into consideration a record of 45 fundamental rights petitions challenging the draft bill, the letter pointed out. 

"..If what the opposition MPs point out had occurred during the passage of the bill, it clearly violates the Constitution, undermines the sovereignty of the people and has possibly caused contempt of court as well," 

"In this letter, we once again confirm that even if the bill is passed as an Act by the Parliament, we will not stop our fight against regulations that are stifling the right to freedom of expression. This letter is also our commitment to continue our fight against regulations that are going to be implemented despite our objections that not only impede our right to free expression but also cause possible harm to the economy," 

The organizations also alleged that "it is clear that the government is attempting to make the Online Safety Bill into law urgently to counter the opposition against the government ahead of the forthcoming elections,"