Court clears Nathasha Edirisooriya and Bruno Diwakara of ICCPR Act charges

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.