Sepal Amarasinghe further remanded
January 17, 2023 02:06 pm
The Colombo Magistrate’s Court today (17 Jan.) further remanded YouTuber Sepal Amarasinghe till 31 January.
Amarasinghe was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) on 05 January, after making several controversial statements about the much-venerated Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy.
The YouTuber’s claims led to chaotic uproar amongst Sri Lanka’s predominantly Buddhist society, officials of the CID highlighted, while the Director General of Department of Archaeology also asserted that the slanderous statements in question were a grave wrongdoing.
The Chief Prelates of the Malwatta and Asgiriya chapters have also informed the CID that they are ready to provide statements pertaining to the matter, the CID informed the court.
Investigations have also revealed that Amarasinghe had received funds from persons overseas, regarding which the CID are conducting further probes under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, and the Convention on the Suppression of Terrorist Financing Act.
The CID initiated investigations into the statements made by Amarasinghe after Inspector-General of Police (IGP) C.D. Wickramaratne received written complaints in this regard, which lead to Amarasinghe’s arrest.
The chief prelates of Malwatta and Asgiriya chapters, Most Ven. Thibbatuwawe Sri Siddhartha Sumangala Thero and Most Ven. Warakagoda Sri Gnanarathana Thero also wrote to President Ranil Wickremesinghe, raising concerns about the offensive statements made by Amarasinghe, and urged the government to take necessary measures to nip the matter in the bud.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe, while speaking in parliament, vowed legal action against Amarasinghe, stressing that the religious harmony in the country cannot be allowed to be disrupted.
Pursuant to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act, No. 56 of 2007, propagating war or advocating national, racial, or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence is a punishable offense with rigorous imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years.
