Fifteen guilty in 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings: What the verdict says

Key Points:

• Fifteen of the 24 accused in the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings have been found guilty of charges including murder and conspiracy to commit terrorism, with 14 convicted on all charges and one on some charges; nine others were acquitted.
• The bombings involved six near-simultaneous attacks on churches and hotels, killing 279 people and injuring over 450, marking the deadliest attacks in Sri Lanka since 2009.
• The legal case began in November 2021, with over 2,300 witnesses and 2,076 pieces of evidence presented; former Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara and ex-Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando were sentenced to death for criminal negligence related to the attacks.
• Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ruled in 2023 that former President Maithripala Sirisena and other top officials failed to act on prior intelligence about the bombings and ordered them to pay compensation to victims’ families.
• Investigations revealed possible government complicity or negligence, including the arrest of former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay for conspiracy, and allegations that the attacks were allowed to proceed to influence the 2019 presidential election; calls for an international probe have been made by Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church and other groups.