Freedom of expression and fundamental rights Tackling hate speech and fake news

One Country, Multiple Laws

Admin August 12, 2021 416

C.J. Amarathunga In Sri Lanka, “One country-One law” emerged as a powerful slogan in recent political and media engagement. Its implication, on the whole, suggested that for a country to be united its citizens had to be subjected to a single rule of law; that the exercise of law must not have

Editorial Comment Opinion Editorial Tackling hate speech and fake news

Muslim Covid and Covid-19

Admin August 4, 2021 412

Sampath Deshapriya  Millions of lives are already lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Many countries are researching remedies, with the guidance of the World Health Organization. Several vaccines have already been introduced. Apparently, the US is concerned about the origin of the virus while they are researching a remedy. The current president of the United […]

Tackling hate speech and fake news

The Social Impact of Hate Speech

Admin July 16, 2021 410

Gayan Yaddehige Swami Vivekananda once said, “Uttering harsh words when you have the ability to choose good words is similar to picking rotten fruit when you can pick ripe fruit.” This statement is more ideal for today than when it was first said. Hate speech aimed at an individual or group of people based on […]

Tackling hate speech and fake news

The Virus That Institutionalised Discrimination- Part 2

Admin April 1, 2021 301

Neville Uditha Weerasinghe The incidents that took place in the town of Beruwala in the Kalutara district of the Western Province, which is considered to be a Muslim-dominated area, made it very clear that the community was being heavily discriminated in light of the COVID-19 situation. A statement made by a Health Official towards two […]

Tackling hate speech and fake news

The Virus That Institutionalised Discrimination- Part 1

Admin March 31, 2021 357

Neville Uditha Weerasinghe We can identify three major turning points of racial tensions that arose against Muslim citizens in the recent post-war history of Sri Lanka. The anti-Muslim violence that erupted in Aluthgama on the 15th of June, 2014, the Kandy anti-Muslim riots of 2018, and the anti-Muslim violence that erupted as a result of […]

Tackling hate speech and fake news

Moulding of Human Thought by Facebook

Admin March 31, 2021 374

Udeni Perera There is no doubt that you might have seen countless incidences where some humans thought to themselves that their own race and culture is better or more valuable than that of their neighbour’s. They even go so far as to think that any race other than theirs is inferior. Let us identify this […]

Tackling hate speech and fake news

The culture of hate speech that developed with the discourse of burying corpses

Admin March 31, 2021 318

Nevil Uditha Weerasinghe Facebook interprets Hate Speech as:  “A direct attack on individuals based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, caste, sex, gender, gender identity, and serious illness or disability. When age is paired with another safety feature, we protect against age-related attacks and also provide some

Tackling hate speech and fake news

Dhammika Paniya and the wave of fake news that followed

Admin March 30, 2021 441

Neville Uditha Weerasinghe The news of the ‘Ayurveda Paniya’ developed by Dhammika Bandara, a traditional medical practitioner spread like wildfire in Sri Lankan social media circles as well as in some mainstream media circles.  According to a report by #Hashtag Generation, this was one of the most highlighted news items on social media in Sri […]

Tackling hate speech and fake news

The Genocide in Rwanda a case Study on Hate Speech and Fake News

Admin March 27, 2021 462

M.S.M.Ayub One of the most wanted men responsible for the death of more than 800,000 people during the Rwandan genocide in 1994 was arrested near Paris on May 16th, last year. Felicien Kabuga, the businessman and the co-founder of RTLM radio, the vicious mouthpiece of the Hutu militiamen in Rwanda before and during the genocide […]

Tackling hate speech and fake news

Cyber Warders to Ensure a Safer Internet for All

Admin March 27, 2021 311

Dilhani Thantirimudalige Safer Internet Day (SID) celebrated its 18th edition across the globe on 9th February 2021 under the slogan, “Together for a better internet”. The idea was to send an open call for all stakeholders to join in an effort to make the internet a safer place, especially for children, youth and women. Whether […]