Sri Lankan Monk Sentenced for Religious Hatred

Galagodaatte Gnanasara, a hardline Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for making derogatory remarks about Islam during a 2016 media conference. This conviction marks his second imprisonment for inciting religious hatred, reflecting ongoing tensions concerning religious and ethnic divisions within the country, where Muslims make up over 10% of the population. Gnanasara was previously jailed for similar offenses and has been associated with anti-Muslim violence through his leadership of the nationalist group Bodu Bala Sena. His political influence was bolstered by former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who appointed him to lead a panel on legal reforms aimed at promoting religious harmony; however, following Rajapaksa's resignation amid mass protests over an economic crisis in 2022, Gnanasara’s legal troubles intensified. Along with his prison term, he received a fine of 1,500 Sri Lankan rupees and has filed an appeal against the sentence. His history of convictions underscores the challenges of addressing religious intolerance in Sri Lanka.