Sri Lanka: 15 men jailed for life in 2019 Easter bombings
The 15 convicts have been given prison sentences of at least 200 years each, following a long trial in what was among Sri Lanka's deadliest attacks.
A Sri Lankan court convicted 15 men to life in prison for their roles in the 2019 Easter bombings, which killed 279 people and injured 574 more. On Tuesday, a three-judge bench of the High Court in Colombo sentenced 14 defendants on all charges, including murder, conspiracy to commit terrorism, and possessing firearms and explosives.
The 15th accused received a lesser sentence. Nine men were acquitted during the trial. The convictions stemmed from a trial that lasted nearly five years and involved 23,270 charges against 25 suspects, all from Sri Lanka's minority Muslim community. One of the accused, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufer, was found guilty of radicalizing the other defendants.
He was sentenced to 240 years in prison with hard labor. The court also ordered the seizure of the convicted men's property and assets. Tuesday's verdict comes as a separate investigation examines potential links between elements within the Sri Lankan state and those responsible for the bombings. Former intelligence chief Suresh Salley was arrested on charges of masterminding the attacks, a claim he denies.
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