A Sri Lankan Buddhist monk, Galagodaatte Gnanasara, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for insulting Islam and inciting religious hatred. This isn’t Gnanasara’s first run-in with the law; he’s been accused of hate crimes and anti-Muslim violence multiple times. In fact, this is his second jail sentence – he was previously sentenced to six years in 2018 for contempt of court and intimidating a political cartoonist’s wife, but only served nine months after receiving a presidential pardon .
Gnanasara’s conviction is significant, as Sri Lanka rarely convicts Buddhist monks. The court emphasized that all citizens, regardless of religion, are entitled to freedom of belief under the Constitution. Gnanasara was also fined 1,500 Sri Lankan rupees and faces an additional month in prison if he fails to pay.
Gnanasara’s sentencing comes after he made derogatory remarks against Islam during a 2016 media conference. He’s appealed the sentence, but the court denied his request for bail until a final judgment is made. Gnanasara’s ties to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was ousted in 2022, have also raised eyebrows. During Rajapaksa’s presidency, Gnanasara led a presidential task force on legal reforms aimed at protecting religious harmony, despite his own history of inciting hatred
