220 years behind bars: Sri Lanka sentences 15 men over Easter Sunday bombings
COLOMBO, Sept 23 — Amal Jayasinghe Sri Lanka’s High Court yesterday handed 220-year jail terms to 15 men con...
On September 23, Sri Lanka's High Court sentenced 15 men to a combined total of 220 years in prison for their roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which claimed 279 lives. The convicts were found guilty of murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and possessing firearms and explosives under the Prevention of Terrorism Act. One suspect was only found guilty of some charges, while nine defendants were acquitted.
The court ordered the confiscation of all property and assets belonging to the convicted men. The Easter Sunday bombings, which targeted luxury hotels and three churches, were the worst terrorist attack in Sri Lanka's history, leaving 45 foreigners dead as well. The trial, which lasted five years, saw prosecutors file 23,270 charges, the highest number ever in a single case.
The suspects, all from Sri Lanka's minority Muslim community, were accused of aiding and abetting the suicide bombers who struck on April 21, 2019. The former police chief and former security chief were also sentenced to death in July for criminal negligence for failing to prevent the attacks despite prior intelligence warnings.
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
