February 01, Colombo (LNW): Parliament Speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena has formally endorsed the certificate pertaining to the Online Safety Bill, as confirmed by Parliament General Secretary Kushani Rohanadheera.
The Online Safety Bill, having undergone amendments, was successfully passed in parliament on January 23rd.
Subsequently, concerns were raised by opposition Members of Parliament who contended that the bill was approved without due consideration of the amendments proposed by the Supreme Court.
In response to these concerns, both opposition members and activists urged Speaker Abeywardena to withhold the endorsement of the certificate for the Online Safety Bill until it could be verified that the court’s suggested amendments were duly incorporated.
The Online Safety Bill’s primary objective is to regulate online content in Sri Lanka. However, critics caution that its implementation may result in censorship and the curtailment of free speech.
