Sri Lanka sentences two ex-security officials to death over 2019 Easter bombings

A Sri Lankan court has sentenced two former high-ranking security officials to death for their negligence in preventing the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The ruling, delivered by a three-judge bench, found former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and former defense secretary Hemasiri Fernando guilty of failing to act despite receiving intelligence warnings about potential attacks. The court's majority decision held them responsible for the deaths of 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals, who perished in the coordinated attacks.

Jayasundara, 66, and Fernando, 76, have the right to appeal the sentence in the Supreme Court. They have been remanded into judicial custody pending bail. Sri Lanka has not carried out an execution since 1976, maintaining an unofficial moratorium on capital punishment, with most death sentences typically commuted to life imprisonment. This verdict comes after the state appealed a 2022 decision that had acquitted the two officials.

During the trial, it was revealed that an Indian intelligence agency had alerted Sri Lanka on April 4, 2019, about a possible suicide attack by Islamist extremists. However, authorities reportedly failed to take adequate action. Prosecutors argued that the negligence of the two top officials constituted "grave crimes against humanity," leading to murder charges. Both men were ultimately convicted of negligence that resulted in the deaths of 279 individuals.

Both Jayasundara and Fernando had previously testified before a parliamentary inquiry, alleging that then-President Maithripala Sirisena did not adhere to established national security protocols and did not take the threats seriously. They claimed Sirisena, who also served as defense minister and minister of law and order at the time, overlooked crucial warnings ahead of the devastating attacks, which targeted three churches and three hotels, leaving over 500 wounded.

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NEGLIGENCE