Addl. Magistrate of Colombo Priyantha Liyanage ordered yesterday (17th) to release a suspect on bail who was arrested for spreading misleading news on the internet about prevention of Corona virus. She was released on personal bail worth of Rs. 500,000/-
The suspect is identified as a political activist named Swarna Malkanthi from Divuldeniya.
This suspect was arrested for posting on Facebook that the medication and food for people under quarantine were not given and that proper testing to identify probable Coronavirus patients are not done, Lankadeepa Newspaper reported.
She was charged under the provisions of Cyber Crimes Act and the Penal Code.
Former Minister Ajith P. Perera posted on Facebook saying that he appeared for the suspect with a panel of lawyers representing her and that the honourable court has affirmed the freedom of expression and the right to express your thoughts on social media. He further pleaded the people to continue fighting for the right to express.
Police said they have arrested 17 individuals for posting fake news related Covid19 in Facebook.