Sri Lankan authorities have detained a Muslim businessman, Fawaz Mohamad Nisar, for allegedly posting hate speech on his personal Facebook account, as authorities continue to crackdown on social media posts.
Nisar was detained in prison from January 13, until later today.
Sri Lanka's Criminal Investigations Department (CID) claim Nasir’s Facebook posts included content that was demeaning to Buddhist monks, thereby committing an offence under International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights Act (ICCPR) for inciting racial tensions.
CID officials also claim Nisar’s higher socioeconomic standing does not correlate with his business failures, adding investigations are now underway to determine if he is involved in any illegal business activities.
Colombo Chief Magistrate Mohamad Mihal instructed the CID to submit a report on the progress of the investigations and ordered Nasir to be remanded.
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