Controversial Buddhist monk jailed for insulting Islam

A hardline Sri Lankan monk, Galagodaatte Gnanasara, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for insulting Islam and inciting religious hatred. Gnanasara, a close ally of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, was convicted on Thursday for his remarks made in 2016.

It is rare for Buddhist monks to be imprisoned in Sri Lanka, and this is Gnanasara’s second time being jailed. He has been repeatedly accused of hate crimes and anti-Muslim violence. The Colombo Magistrate's Court ruling comes after he was granted a presidential pardon in 2019 after serving a six-year sentence for intimidating and contempt of court.

Gnanasara was arrested last December for making derogatory comments against Islam during a media conference in 2016. The court stated on Thursday that under the constitution, all citizens, regardless of their religious beliefs, have the right to freedom of belief. He was also fined 1,500 Sri Lankan rupees (about $5). The court ruling added that an additional month of imprisonment would be imposed if the fine was not paid.

Gnanasara has appealed the sentence. The court rejected his lawyer's request to grant him bail pending the final verdict of the appeal. He is a trusted ally of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was forced to resign and flee the country in 2022 following mass protests sparked by the island nation's economic crisis.

During Rajapaksa's presidency, Gnanasara, who is also the leader of a Sinhalese Buddhist nationalist group, was appointed head of a presidential task force for legal reforms aimed at protecting religious harmony. After Rajapaksa's downfall, Gnanasara was sentenced last year for similar hate speech charges targeting the country’s Muslim minority, but was granted bail pending appeal. He had previously served only nine months of a six-year sentence for contempt of court and intimidating the wife of a political cartoonist widely believed to have disappeared, due to a pardon by then-President Maithripala Sirisena.