Sri Lanka hands 220-year jail terms to 15 convicted of Easter bombings

Sri Lanka’s High Court on Tuesday sentenced 15 men to 220 years in prison for their alleged direct involvement in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which claimed 279 lives. Out of the 25 initially charged, 14 were found guilty on all counts, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and possession of firearms and explosives under the Prevention of Terrorism Act.

One defendant was convicted on some charges, while the remaining nine were acquitted. The court also ordered the confiscation of all the convicted men's property and assets. The 2019 attack, the worst terror incident in Sri Lanka's history, targeted three luxury hotels and three churches on April 21, 2019, killing 279 people, including 45 foreigners.

The convicts, all from Sri Lanka's minority Muslim community, are accused of aiding and abetting the suicide bombers. The trial, spanning five years and involving 23,270 charges, marks the first criminal prosecution directly linked to the coordinated bombings.