Symbol copyright Reuters Symbol caption Galaboda Aththe Gnanasara Thero leads a Buddhist nationalist staff accused of violence
A court in Sri Lanka has sentenced a hardline Buddhist monk to 6 months in prison for threatening the spouse of a lacking cartoonist.
Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara Thero was found accountable of criminally intimidating Sanya Eknaligoda at a court docket in 2016.
Sri Lanka infrequently convicts Buddhist monks.
This is the primary time Gnanasara has been jailed, even if he has previously been accused of hate crimes and anti-Muslim violence.
The monk, who leads the Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) or “Buddhist Power Drive”, had interrupted a court docket listening to through which military intelligence officials have been accused of abducting Sanya Eknaligoda’s husband.
Image copyright bbc Symbol caption Sanjaya Eknaligoda and her son have spent years highlighting Prageeth Eknaligoda’s plight
Gnanasara was once found in charge on two counts and sentenced to 2 six-month terms, to be served concurrently. He used to be additionally ordered to pay 50,000 rupees ($310; £230) in reimbursement to Sandya Eknaligoda.
Correspondents say the court docket ruling is vital in the majority Sinhalese united states of america, where it is almost unheard-of for a Buddhist monk to take delivery of a custodial sentence.
Last year the monk was pursued through the police in reference to assaults towards Muslims. He later passed himself in and was granted bail.
He has shut hyperlinks with Wirathu, an extremist monk in Myanmar (also called Burma).
