Sri Lanka is working on a new law to stop religious slander and online hate speech. This comes after a comedian named Nathasha Edirisooriya made some derogatory comments about religion online, leading to her arrest. Sri Lanka’s religious affairs minister, Vidura Wickramanayaka, said that the new legislation will prevent any more incidents of insulting religion on social media.
This is not the first incident of this kind in Sri Lanka. A pastor named Jerome Fernando was also accused of making derogatory comments about Lord Buddha earlier this month. President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for an immediate investigation into the matter, arguing that such statements could create religious conflicts in the country.
In January, a popular YouTuber named Sepal Amarasinghe was taken into police custody for making disparaging comments about the Sacred Tooth Relic of Lord Buddha. Sri Lanka’s Constitution recognizes Buddhism as the foremost religion in the country and commits to protecting it while respecting the rights of other religious minorities.
