High Court convicts 15 over 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, nine acquitted

High Court convicts 15 over 2019 Easter Sunday bombings

The Sri Lanka High Court on Wednesday convicted 15 men charged over the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings that killed 270 people and injured more than 500, prosecutors said; nine other defendants were acquitted.

The court found that those convicted included Naufer Moulavi, whom prosecutors had described as the mastermind behind the coordinated blasts targeting three churches and three luxury hotels, which killed 45 foreign nationals among the dead.

The accused faced more than 23,000 charges ranging from murder and conspiracy to commit terrorism to firearms offences, with investigators presenting 2,076 pieces of evidence and testimony from more than 2,300 witnesses.

Sri Lankan authorities have said all the bombers who carried out the attacks died in the blasts and that the 25 men indicted were from the country’s Muslim minority; one of the indicted men died in custody.

Following the attacks, officials acknowledged a major intelligence lapse after a tip-off from India was not properly shared with local authorities, according to parliamentary records.

In related legal rulings, the Supreme Court ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena in 2023 to pay millions in compensation after finding him responsible for national security failures linked to the bombings, and last month two former senior officials were sentenced to death for criminal negligence in the case; Sri Lanka’s long-standing moratorium effectively commutes death sentences to life imprisonment.

Liberal News Analysis: What Does This Development Mean?

The convictions reflect the conclusion of a lengthy trial that relied on extensive witness testimony and material evidence drawn from the 2019 investigations. The acquittals of nine defendants indicate differential outcomes across the 25 men originally indicted. Recent court decisions and sentencing of former officials underscore continuing legal and institutional repercussions from the attacks.

Quick Glance: What You Need to Know

• High Court convicted 15 men over the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 270 and injured over 500.
• Prosecutors named Naufer Moulavi among those convicted; nine defendants were acquitted and one indicted man died in custody.
• Case involved over 23,000 charges, 2,076 pieces of evidence and testimony from more than 2,300 witnesses.