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In Sri Lanka, the record of Sunday's attacks was largely revised downward, with 253 killed. One of the exceptional measures put in place as a result of these actions was the blocking of Facebook and WhatsApp, in order to prevent the spread of false information and community clashes. Reportage.
With our special correspondent in Sri Lanka , Sébastien Farcis
For three days, the young Azham managed to circumvent the ban on social networks using a private virtual network service, called VPN. But this Thursday, he got scared and uninstalled him.
" It's forbidden to use a VPN in Sri Lanka. And I heard today that the police were catching people who used them. They stop us and check our phones. So I switched to the other Telegram application, it is not yet prohibited. "
► See also: [Reportage] Sri Lanka: in Colombo, the slightest detonation revives fears
A year ago, the center of the country ignited when Buddhist extremists called for hatred of Muslims by WhatsApp and Facebook. Several mosques had been destroyed and the government had to declare a state of emergency for 10 days. So in this Muslim district of Colombo, young people like Mohammad accept this ban with patience.
No violence reported
" This time, it does not matter if we miss Facebook ," says Azham. Because in these moments, everyone spreads lies and it increases the tension. It's better to be safe than having these social networks . "
Last year, the government banned these networks, but it was already too late. This time, the restriction took place just after the attacks. And it worked, because no community clash was reported as the country suffered the most deadly attack in recent history.