Sri Lanka imposed a countrywide curfew starting Saturday evening until Monday morning, in addition to a state of emergency declared by the President. Sri Lanka imposed nationwide curfew, block social media.
Additionally, Sri Lanka has blocked access to many social media platforms in an attempt to prevent further protests blaming the government over a worsening economic crisis
Sri Lanka blocked access to social media platforms on Sunday after authorities imposed a weekend nationwide curfew to contain protests over a worsening economic crisis.
The South Asian nation is facing severe shortages of food, fuel and other essentials, along with sharp price rises and crippling power cuts, in its most painful downturn since independence from Britain in 1948.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa imposed a state of emergency on Friday, the day after a crowd attempted to storm his home in the capital Colombo, and a nationwide curfew is in effect until Monday morning.
Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp were among the platforms shut down by internet service providers on the orders of defence authorities, the pro-government Ada Derana news channel said.
“On the request of the defence ministry, service providers advised to temporarily restrict social media platforms,” the broadcaster said, quoting Sri Lanka’s media regulator. Anonymous activists had called for mass protests on Sunday on social media before the order went into effect.
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Hundreds of people defied the curfew on Saturday night and staged small demonstrations in various Colombo neighbourhoods, but dispersed peacefully, police and residents said.
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