Sri Lankan Court Convicts 15 Men For 2019 Easter Bombings

Fifteen people convicted over Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter Sunday bombings will appeal their convictions and prison sentences of between 200 and 260 years, a defence lawyer said on Wednesday. The Colombo High Court had convicted 15 of the 24 accused after a trial lasting nearly five years.

The three-judge High Court Trial-at-Bar found 14 defendants guilty on all charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism and possession of firearms and explosives under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Another defendant was found guilty of some charges, while nine were acquitted. The court also ordered the confiscation of the convicted men’s movable and immovable property.

The sentences ranged from 200 to 260 years of rigorous imprisonment. Five convicts received 200 years each, five were sentenced to 220 years, four received 240 years and one was handed 260 years.

Defence counsel Kneel Maddumage, who represented seven of the accused, said the convictions and sentences would be challenged in the Supreme Court after the relevant documents are received.

“Some of the defendants are not represented by counsel, but I requested on behalf of all the convicts that they be provided with copies of the proceedings to file their appeals,” Maddumage said.

The April 21, 2019 attacks involved nine suicide bombers linked to the local Islamist extremist group National Thawheed Jamaat, which had links to ISIS. The bombers targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 279 people, including 45 foreigners, and injuring more than 500.

The case involved 23,270 charges and more than 2,300 prosecution witnesses. Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, identified by prosecutors as a key figure in the organisation of the attacks, was among those convicted.

The verdict is one of three major legal strands arising from the bombings. In July, former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and former Defence Ministry official Hemasiri Fernando were sentenced to death for failing to act on intelligence warnings about a possible attack.

A separate investigation is examining allegations that elements within the Sri Lankan state may have been connected to the bombings. Former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay was arrested as part of that probe. Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala told Parliament in June that investigators believed Sallay was the mastermind, an allegation Sallay has denied. The Rajapaksa family has also denied allegations of involvement.

Catholic Church spokesman Father Jude Krishantha welcomed the verdict, saying victims’ relatives had been waiting for justice. The Supreme Court appeals will now open another chapter in the long-running legal battle over one of Sri Lanka’s deadliest attacks.