Gnanasara Thera release campaign suspended
The Satyagraha launched at Viharamahadevi Park on 16 October, demanding the release of Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, has been temporarily suspended. Organisers said the decision had been taken following an assurance from the Mahanayake Theras of the three Nikayas that they would take stepts to resolve the issue through discussions. The government has maintained that […]
The campaign to demand the release of Ven. Galagodaaththe Gnanasara Thera, which began at Viharamahadevi Park on October 16th, has been temporarily halted. The organizers cited assurances from the Mahanayake Theras of the three Nikayas that they would work to resolve the issue through discussions. The government has stated that Gnanasara, who was rearrested in October following the Supreme Court invalidating former President Maithripala Sirisena's presidential pardon in May 2019, will not be released through any new pardon.
The "Justice for the Robe – Freedom March" commenced in Kandy on October 10th and continued to Colombo, before arriving at Viharamahadevi Park on October 16th following a police order barring identified monks and other individuals from gathering at the Presidential Secretariat. Gnanasara was convicted of contempt of court in 2018 and served approximately nine months before being granted a presidential pardon in May 2019.
The Supreme Court subsequently declared the pardon legally invalid, allowing the balance of his sentence to be served.
Written by urgent.news from The Island Sri Lanka's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
