Court clears Nathasha Edirisooriya and Bruno Diwakara of ICCPR Act charges

Thursday, 20 June 2024 00:08 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Nathasha Edirisooriya

Bruno Diwakara

Stand up comedienne Nathasha Edirisooriya and SL VLOG Youtube channel owner Bruno Diwakara were released yesterday by the Fort Magistrates Court from the case filed against them under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) Act.

The Police arrested Edirisooriya on 28 May 2023 for allegedly making controversial statements on Buddhism during her segment at a stand-up comedy show in Colombo.

She was detained by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) at Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) in Katunayake as she prepared to leave the country.

Diwakara was arrested on 31 May 2023, after his YouTube channel ‘SL VLOG’ posted a viral video of Edirisooriya’s performance. Diwakara was interrogated for over eight hours before being taken into custody. He was released on bail by the court on 21 June, while Edirisooriya was granted bail on 5 July after filing a petition with the Colombo High Court.

The controversy began as Edirisooriya’s performance on the ‘Modabhimanaya’ (Fool’s Pride) comedy program in April went viral over comments she made about the Lord Buddha and Buddhist Girl’s Schools during the act. The comments drew the ire of certain persons and ultra-nationalist groups followed by calls for her arrest. She was arrested based on a complaint lodged by the Commissioner General of Buddhist Affairs and several others.

Discover Kapruka, the leading online shopping platform in Sri Lanka, where you can conveniently send Gifts and Flowers to your loved ones for any event including Valentine ’s Day. Explore a wide range of popular Shopping Categories on Kapruka, including Toys, Groceries, Electronics, Birthday Cakes, Fruits, Chocolates, Flower Bouquets, Clothing, Watches, Lingerie, Gift Sets and Jewellery. Also if you’re interested in selling with Kapruka, Partner Central by Kapruka is the best solution to start with. Moreover, through Kapruka Global Shop, you can also enjoy the convenience of purchasing products from renowned platforms like Amazon and eBay and have them delivered to Sri Lanka.