Relatives of victims, civil society representatives and the Church in Sri Lanka have welcomed a trial court judgment sentencing 15 people to a combined total of more than 200 years imprisonment for their roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday terror attacks. Source: UCA News.
The court on September 22 convicted 15 of 25 people indicted in connection with the attacks and acquitted nine. One of the accused died while in custody.
The defendants were found guilty of aiding and abetting the attacks, which killed 279 people and injured more than 500, including foreigners, on April 21, 2019. The attacks were the worst in the postwar history of the South Asian island nation.
The final verdict was delivered on September 22 under tight security at the Supreme Court complex in Colombo.
Welcoming the judgment, Fr Jude Krishantha Fernando, director of mass communications for the Colombo Archdiocese, told UCA News that victims and affected families had waited seven years to see justice served for those killed in the attacks.
“Throughout this period, victims suffered a lot, and families collapsed, as in some families both parents were killed in the attack. The judgment is a consolation to their plight,” Fr Fernando said.
However, Fr Fernando stressed that the latest judgment does not mark the end of efforts to uncover the truth and identify the alleged masterminds behind the attacks. He said the Church would continue to demand justice and truth.
On July 31, the same bench convicted former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Secretary Hemasiri Fernando over their failure to act on intelligence warnings ahead of the Easter Sunday bombings. Both were sentenced to death.
Meanwhile, the Colombo Fort Magistrate’s Court re-remanded former State Intelligence Service director, Major General (retired) Suresh Sallay, who was arrested in connection with the Easter Sunday attacks.
Major General Sallay, who is receiving treatment at Colombo National Hospital for a heart condition, has vehemently denied the allegations.
The court also imposed a travel ban on former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa in connection with the attacks.
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Sri Lankan Church, victims’ families hail Easter attack verdict (By Rubatheesan Sandran, UCA News)
