More than 48 hours after our Instagram page was deactivated without warning, we are now finally back online.
We still have not received any explanation as to why our page was disabled. We still have not received any explanation as to why our content keeps being removed. We have reached out to Facebook, Instagram's parent company, directly through several channels. And we still have not received any response.
We are grateful for the outpouring of support from around the world, particularly from Tamil activists, British, Canadian and Tamil politicians and people in the homeland, who all publicly spoke out against this move. We have no doubt that this pressure was crucial in the restoration of our account.
The censoring of Tamil voices on these social media platforms, however, needs to stop immediately. It has gone on for far too long and it is stifling. We demand a full explanation as to why this keeps occurring and a full review of Facebook's policies towards Eelam Tamil content on its platform.
As we revealed yesterday, we know that the Sri Lankan state has been leading attempts to silence Tamil voices online, including that of the Tamil Guardian. Even as it jails journalists on the island, the regime has demonstrated repeatedly that it will not tolerate freedom of expression anywhere in the world. Unless there is immediate and drastic change, Facebook will be guilty of colluding with a racist and authoritarian state.
We remain in full support of a media environment, on the island and around the world, free from repression and censorship.