President vows to uphold right to freedom of expression

President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday reiterated his commitment to preserving freedom of expression highlighting the repeal of the criminal defamation law, a step that no other country in the region has taken.

Speaking at the launch of the online issuance of passports at the Homagama Divisional the Secretariat, President emphasised that the proposed Electronic Broadcasting Regulatory Commission Act aims to provide recourse to the aggrieved party in cases of harm caused by electronic media. 

He stated that this approach is employed in countries worldwide, and he has instructed the inclusion of guidelines from the United Kingdom’s electronic media regulations in Sri Lanka’s implementation.

Expressing his views at this event President Wickremesinghe further said:  “Minister of Mass Media Bandula Gunawardena is here as the event is hosted in the Homagama district. I had expected journalists to come here and protest, claiming that ‘our media minister is going to destroy the media and create a situation like North Korea.’

“I’m uncertain why the media is airing such programs. Our Penal Code used to include a provision for criminal defamation, which I removed. I don’t believe any country in the Asian region has eliminated it. Why would we attempt to remove freedom of expression when we have already safeguarded it? Nobody wants to get rid of it. I have had more media interaction than all of these people combined. Consequently, none of us wants to lose our freedom of expression. “However, there’s another issue. Every country in the world has a program to assist those who have been harmed by the media. We have government employees present here. How many people have been accused through electronic media, and how many statements have been made about them, sometimes without factual basis? Now, what is the solution for them, not just for ordinary people but also for me?

“They are making a single statement regarding Kurundi Viharaya. They also claim that I will settle Tamils there. I informed Ellawala Medhananda thero about the existence of these government lands. Inform them that we will not be settling any Tamils, Sinhalese, or Muslims in their areas.

"Furthermore they are spreading rumours that Thiriyaya will be demolished and a building will be constructed there. None of that is true. If you conduct a little research, you will find that the 2018 parliamentary committee ruled on this matter. However, I recommend forming a committee to explore and report on these areas.

“If I cannot find out about it, how can an ordinary person obtain such relief? We are merely attempting to provide relief. None of these drafts have been finalised yet. I have suggested including guidelines for UK electronic media. How many individuals can sue if someone spreads falsehoods about them, which harms their character? By establishing this organisation, they can go there and register a complaint.

“There are rules in place to ensure that the media is not disadvantaged. These instructions must be followed. I have instructed the Attorney General to present this in UK terms because we can obtain precedents for making decisions there. There are several questions. Some media institutions have not even been granted permission to broadcast news, while others have educational authorisation. Our goal is to address all these issues. There is nothing else.

“The minister already has the authority to revoke broadcasting licenses. This Act aims to enable anyone to go to court and seek a solution. If the motion to go to court is rejected, instruct the minister to retain that power. We are striving to make progress in some way.

“In various countries, licenses are renewed every 10 years. It is solely for the purpose of earning money. We provided all of these licenses for free. Some of those who obtained them sold them. The profit was for them, not for the country. There is no need to fear this process. Not only did the electronic media set fire to my house, but it also burned almost 3000 precious books. It was a loss for me. And now they are requesting a fire permit to burn houses?"