The Colombo Additional Magistrate today sentenced the racist monk Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara, the General Secretary of the controversial Buddhist nationalist group Bodu Bala Sena (BBS), to nine months in prison for defaming Islam.
The sentence follows remarks made by Gnanasara in 2016, where he referred to Islam as a 'cancer that must be eradicated'.
In addition to the prison sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 1,500 on the firebrand monk. The ruling marks the second time Gnanasara has faced incarceration for controversial statements about Islam. He was previously jailed last year for similar charges related to disparaging remarks about the island nation's Muslim population.
Gnanasara has filed an appeal against the sentence. However, his attorneys also requested bail pending the hearing of the appeal and a final decision on the case. The Colombo Magistrate’s Court rejected this bail application today, meaning that the monk will serve the nine-month prison term immediately.
The court’s decision comes after an earlier arrest warrant was issued for Gnanasara due to his failure to appear before the court regarding the charges.
Gnanasara is known for his close ties to former Sri Lankan president Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Rajapaksa family. He was appointed by Rajapaksa in 2021 as the head of a panel tasked with reforming Sri Lanka's legal system to "promote religious harmony". However, the monk’s inflammatory speeches, particularly targeting Muslims, have drawn widespread criticism both domestically and internationally. His rhetoric has been blamed for exacerbating religious tensions in the country, with critics accusing him of promoting Islamophobia and sparking deadly anti-Muslim violence. Gnanasara remarks in 2016, for which he has now been sentenced, were seen as part of a broader campaign against Muslims, which also included calling for the restriction of Muslim cultural practices.
He has also frequently spoken out against the island's Eelam Tamils, once warning that a "river of blood" will flow through the North-East if Tamil autonomy is granted.
