Activists threatened for petitioning against Gota

One of the petitioners, Chandragupta Thenawura says that he has received death threats over the phone soon after the court verdict was given.

“I can confirm that I received two phone calls threatening my life straight after the court verdict was issued. Prior to that, I had to endure a lot of hate speech and profanities,” he said.

He said that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) had told him that he could request for security.

“The IGP told me that if my life was in danger and I needed security, to inform him of the matter,” he said.

Thenuwara said that he would take additional measures if the situation escalated.

The other petitioner, Gamini Viyangoda, said that while he had not received direct death threats, his social media was full of hate speech and calls for his death.

“On social media, I see various persons condemning. Some have said that I should be killed while others have said that I should be made to suffer. This is all because of the court case we filed,” he said.

Meanwhile, several Facebook posts threatening the two petitioners were seen during the past few days.