Senior monk in Sri Lanka arrested for child sex crimes

A prominent Buddhist monk in Sri Lanka, Pallegama Hemarathana, has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing an 11-year-old girl at a revered temple in Anuradhapura in 2022. The 71-year-old chief prelate was taken into custody at a hospital in Colombo as authorities investigated his case, which has drawn significant attention as the highest-profile accusation against a religious leader in the country. The victim’s mother was also arrested for allegedly aiding the monk.

Want More Context? 🔎