(Sri Lanka Brief/ 13 October 2025)
A prominent member of Sri Lanka’s Free Palestine Movement has called for an official investigation into alleged defamatory and divisive content published by Rohan Gunaratna, a self-proclaimed terrorism expert and academic. The activist, Chirantha Ranmal Anthony Amerasinghe, has accused Gunaratna of spreading misinformation that could incite communal tensions and undermine peaceful activism.
In a formal letter addressed to authorities, Amerasinghe highlighted several instances where Gunaratna allegedly published misleading and inflammatory material targeting the global and local pro-Palestinian movement. One such example is a video posted on Gunaratna’s official Facebook page on April 7, 2025, titled “Be very careful in the future for whom you protest. You don’t want to be protestors of terrorists.” The video, which was cached by Google, has since had its description altered.
Amerasinghe also pointed to an article published on Gunaratna’s personal website in August 2025, which claimed that the pro-Palestinian movement “lends credence to a fanatical, death-cult like Hamas.” The activist strongly refuted this characterization, stating that the movement in Sri Lanka has been entirely peaceful, focused on advocating for an end to war and genocide in Gaza.
Another article, published on the Jaffna Monitor website, allegedly linked Sri Lankan Muslims and the Free Palestine Movement to a so-called “pro-Palestinian resistance network,” citing unnamed intelligence sources. Amerasinghe condemned the article as “maliciously and falsely demonizing” the Muslim community and peaceful activists, warning that such rhetoric threatens the unity between communities in Sri Lanka.
“I am not a Muslim,” Amerasinghe stated in the letter, “and I have taken part in almost every single activity of the Free Palestine Movement in Sri Lanka. Our involvement has nothing to do with ethnicity or religion—it is about peace, humanity, and justice.”
The activist also referenced a 2014 ruling by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, which found Gunaratna guilty of defamation against the Canadian Tamil Congress (CTC), ordering him to pay damages and legal costs. The court deemed Gunaratna’s claims “unequivocally and incontrovertibly false and untrue.”
Amerasinghe has urged the Inspector General of Police to launch an immediate inquiry into Gunaratna’s recent publications and to issue circulars preventing law enforcement from relying on his information, citing concerns over political bias and misinformation.
The letter concludes with a call for accountability and a reaffirmation of the movement’s commitment to peaceful advocacy for Palestinian rights.
The letter: complaint to igp on rohan gunaratna 2025-10-13