(SRI LANKA)
Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News) [Hong Kong]
September 1, 2026
By UCS News reporter
Slow progress in case involving top Buddhist prelate accused of repeatedly abusing a minor since 2022
Rights activists in Sri Lanka have slammed the state authorities for alleged attempts to protect an influential Buddhist monk who is charged with raping a minor multiple times since 2022.
Human rights and child rights campaigners, during a press conference in the national capital Colombo on Aug. 31, accused the state of using delaying tactics in the prosecution of Pallegama Hemarathana Thero.
The 71-year-old monk was arrested on May 9 after he was accused of repeatedly abusing a minor since 2022. The girl was reportedly 15 years old when the abuse began.
At the time of his arrest, Hemarathana was the chief Buddhist prelate of the Nuwara Kalaviya region and the head of eight of the most important Buddhist pilgrimage sites of Anuradhapura, a major city and a World Heritage Site in north-central Sri Lanka.
Shortly after the allegations surfaced, Hemarathana was suspended from both positions.
Following his arrest, the monk was initially remanded in custody but later released on bail.
Media reports said he arrived at the Anuradhapura High Court complex in a luxury car and entered through the judges’ special entrance on June 16, bypassing the main entrance where police search the public.
The Chief Magistrate adjourned the case until Jan. 8, 2027, pending the Attorney General’s advice, and ordered the monk to appear before the court on that day.
Activists questioned why the state failed to frame specific charges against the accused monk months after he was arrested and why the process of justice has been made slow.
Chanu Nimesha, a rights activist and member of the left-wing Socialist Party of Sri Lanka, said the case reveals how the state responds when someone powerful is accused of crimes.
“A person’s rank, position, religious background, or political power should never shield them from accountability, as we saw when Hemarathana Thero received special privileges and entered court through a special door,” Nimesha said.
He said the law should be enforced transparently, free from religious or political influence, while ensuring that all investigations are conducted fairly and expedited without unnecessary delays.
“A special judicial process should be established to hear cases involving crimes against children and women to ensure victims receive justice without unnecessary delays,” the activist said.
Jeana De Zoysa, a writer and activist, questioned why abuse cases involving high-profile people are treated differently, which sends society a message that abusers, rather than children, will be protected and treated well.
Sri Lanka’s child abuse crisis stems from institutional failures, fear of powerful and religious figures, and impunity, said Sarath Weerawansa, a counsellor from Kurunegala in North Western Province.
The Hemarathana case is the latest in a series of abuse scandals involving Sri Lankan Buddhist monks in recent years.
Over the past three years, 285 monks have been accused of abusing children, and 30 of them have been charged, according to a report by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), a US-based non-profit promoting investigative journalism, published on May 28.