Brutal mob killing of Sri Lankan sparks protests

The Report Desk

Published: December 6, 2021, 11:51 AM

Brutal mob killing of Sri Lankan sparks protests

A brutal mob killing of a Sri Lankan man accused of blasphemy in Pakistan has sparked protests in both countries, with Pakistan's leader condemning the vigilante violence.

Priyantha Diyawadanage, 48, a factory manager in the city of Sialkot, was beaten to death on Friday and his body set alight.

More than 100 people have been arrested so far, said Pakistan PM Imran Khan.

He has described the incident as a "day of shame" for his country.

His wife, Nilushi Dissanayaka, called on both Pakistan and Sri Lanka's governments to conduct a full investigation to "bring justice to my husband and my two children".

"I saw that he was being attacked on the internet... it was so inhumane," she said.

Videos of the lynching proliferated across social media over the weekend, and showed scenes of the incensed crowd dragging Diyawadanage from his workplace and beating him to death.

They then burnt his body, and several people in the crowd were seen taking selfies with his corpse.

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