Wimal Weerawansa AI image incident — Oct 2026

Former MP Wimal Weerawansa was publicly criticized by Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe after displaying an AI-manipulated photograph during a television discussion to support political allegations. The incident highlights the risks of political figures inadvertently circulating fabricated media to influence public discourse.

What happened

During a television appearance, Wimal Weerawansa presented a photograph to substantiate political claims. Deputy Minister Chathuranga Abeysinghe later identified the image as a fabrication, sharing the original photograph alongside the manipulated version on social media. According to Abeysinghe, the original image depicted him with an individual named Amal, who had assisted in protecting protesters from an attack by Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) supporters during the 2022 Aragalaya protest movement. The original photo was taken to recognize Amal's actions during that event.

Abeysinghe alleged that the image had been altered using artificial intelligence to change the appearance of the individual in the photo, specifically portraying Amal as a Buddhist monk. The Deputy Minister questioned how an experienced politician could be misled by such a fabrication and proceed to discuss it extensively on a major television channel. Furthermore, Abeysinghe accused Weerawansa and his political allies of utilizing the manipulated image to exploit ethnic and religious divisions for political gain. The incident has drawn significant attention to the increasing prevalence of AI-generated imagery and the potential for such content to be weaponized within political debates.