The Internet Media Action (IMA) has raised alarm over what it called was a serious democratic crisis in Sri Lanka, following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that found the fundamental rights of Mohamed Rifai Mohamed Suhail had been violated under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA).

Issuing a statement, IMA said Suhail was detained for nine months solely over a social media post, without evidence, a move the Supreme Court condemned as arbitrary and unlawful. 

The rights group further said the incident exposes the “dark reality” of law enforcement and freedom of expression in the country, pointing to fabricated police claims and political interference as a fatal blow to the Rule of Law.

IMA noted that the arrest occurred under the current NPP government, which had pledged to repeal the PTA but is now pushing new legislation such as the Protection of the State from Terrorism Act (PSTA), which critics say further suppresses digital rights.

The group stressed that accountability cannot be avoided through apologies or private compensation, insisting that responsibility lies with the government and the President. 

The organization urged immediate repeal of the PTA, disciplinary action against officers responsible, withdrawal of repressive laws, and systemic police reform to align with constitutional and human rights standards.

“Justice is not merely compensation after a wrong. It is ensuring that such violations cannot happen again,” IMA added. 

The 21‑year‑old youth had filed a fundamental rights petition in the Supreme Court, claiming that the Police violated his fundamental rights by arresting him and remanding him under the PTA based on false information alleging he had posted content on social media harming the Israeli flag. (Newswire)

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The Internet Media Action (IMA) has expressed concern and objection over the statement made by Deputy Minister for Public Security Sunil Watagala calling for action under emergency regulations against those slandering the President on social media. 

Issuing a statement, the organization said that the Deputy Minister had issued the directive during a discussion held on December 2 at the Malabe Divisional Secretariat with the participation of a group of public officers and Deputy Minister of Mass Media Dr. Kaushalya Ariyarathne.

According to the statement, the Deputy Minister stated that through Social Media or any other media, ‘malicious character assassination attacks’ are being launched targeting the President and a few others in the political authority. He further stated that it is not possible to carry out ‘false opinions – misrepresentations’ physically, online, or through AI technology. 

The organization further claimed that the Minister also stated that those who do so should be subjected to severe punishment under the currently imposed Emergency law, treating them not as suspects but as accused.

Our position is that this statement constitutes a serious threat to the freedom of expression (FOE), a fundamental right of the citizens of Sri Lanka. Furthermore, any attempt to use the Emergency law, which is said to have been imposed for disaster management, to suppress political criticism is an abuse of power and constitutes a violation of the fundamental rights of the citizen. This is a highly dangerous attempt to deliberately suppress freedom of expression(FOE) and to restrict fundamental rights. Criticism is not a crime, and attempting to punish criticism out of fear is the most serious harm that can be done to democracy, it said. 

“We, as Internet Media Action (IMA), are deeply concerned about the intimidation and self-censorship that may be caused to social media activists-citizens by this. Therefore, we state that the statement made by Deputy Minister Sunil Watagala must be unequivocally withdrawn, and that freedom of expression(FOE) is a fundamental human right that cannot be restricted or suppressed by Emergency law or any other legal provisions, and the Government must clearly state its position on this matter,” the organization added. (Newswire)

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