Status: Not Free
Legal Environment: 24
Political Influences: 22
Economic Pressures: 18
Total Score: 64
Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 67
Religious Groups: Sunni Muslim
Ethnic Groups: South Indians, Sinhalese, Arabs
Capital: Male
Press freedom is restricted by a strict legal code that the government did not hesitate to enforce in 2002. The law authorizes officials to close newspapers and sanction journalists for insulting Islam, threatening national security, or publishing libelous statements. The penal code bans speech and publications that could "arouse people against the government," while other regulations make editors criminally responsible for the content of the material they publish. Four Internet writers were arrested early in the year, and after being held in detention and charged with defamation in May, three were sentenced to life imprisonment. In this environment, many journalists practice self-censorship, although some private newspapers criticize government policy. All broadcast media are owned and operated by the government.
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