Commissioned by and written in consultation with the Centre for Policy Alternatives (CPA), ‘The Internet as a medium for free expression: A Sri Lankan legal perspective’ by J.C. Weliamuna looks at the legal framework governing the freedom of expression online in Sri Lanka. J.C. Weliamuna is a well-known Attorney-at-Law, human rights activist and the recipient of the Citizens Peace Award in 2013.
Though this study was conducted in 2013, it holds enduring relevance on account of its detailed record of legal proceedings dealing the freedom of expression online in Sri Lanka in the form of scanned documents from cases presented to the Sri Lankan courts. At the time of publication, these records are not easily accessible through the courts and unavailable anywhere else in the public domain. The records are an invaluable curation of content that reveals the nature of censorship, the pushback from Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telecommunications companies, the opinions of the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) with regards to online content (with an emphasis on child pornography) and expert input from various actors including international mainstream media and universities on the freedom of expression online, presented to and considered by the courts in Sri Lanka.