Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court has overturned a presidential pardon granted to hardline Buddhist monk Galagodaatte Gnanasara and ordered him to serve the remainder of his six-year prison sentence.
Gnanasara was convicted in 2018 for contempt of court and intimidating Sanya Eknaligoda, the wife of missing political cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda.
The monk had disrupted a court hearing while speaking in support of military intelligence officials accused of abducting the cartoonist.
He served less than a year of his sentence before receiving a presidential pardon from then-President Maithripala Sirisena.
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Eknaligoda disappeared in 2010 and has not been found. His wife has since campaigned for information about his whereabouts and accused authorities of failing to do enough to investigate his disappearance.
Through his cartoons, Eknaligoda criticised issues, including media freedom, political power and social inequality. His work was also critical of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, a nationalist leader credited with defeating Tamil separatist rebels in 2009 after decades of civil war.
Gnanasara, who leads the Bodu Bala Sena, also known as the Buddhist Power Force, was a supporter of Rajapaksa and his brother, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who later became president.
The monk received another nine-month prison sentence in 2025 for insulting Islam and inciting religious hatred.
Convictions resulting in imprisonment for Buddhist monks are rare in Sri Lanka, making Gnanasara’s custodial sentences particularly notable.
Source: BBC
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.