The conviction by a Sri Lankan court of extremist Buddhist monk Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero, who had threatened the well-known campaigner against enforced disappearances, Sandhya Eknaligoda, is a victory for human rights defenders in Sri Lanka, Amnesty International said.
A magistrate’s court in Homagama handed down a six months’ sentence and a heavy fine to Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thero for threatening Sandhya Eknaligoda in court, when she appeared in 2016 to pursue justice for the enforced disappearance of her husband, the famed Sri Lankan cartoonist Prageeth Eknaligoda.
“This is an important verdict for all people who fight for human rights in Sri Lanka. A clear message has gone out to those who seek to intimidate, threaten and silence people seeking justice,” said Omar Waraich, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for South Asia.
Prageeth Eknaligoda, a journalist for the news website LankaeNews, went missing days before the 2010 presidential elections. He had reported on alleged corruption among family members of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa, according to his wife, Sandhya Eknaligoda.
Since then, his wife, Sandhya, has waged an uphill but determined struggle for justice, in the face of serious threats, the Amnesty said. There has been little progress in the investigation. The monk threatened Sandya outside the court room when she was attending hearings into the disappearance of her husband.
