In short
- Sri Lanka’s High Court sentenced 15 men to prison terms of 200 to 260 years each for plotting the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings.
- The Easter Sunday attacks killed 270 people and injured more than 500 in co-ordinated blasts at three churches and three luxury hotels.
- Prosecutors described Naufer Moulavi as the mastermind of the suicide bombings; nine other defendants were acquitted.
- Forty-five foreigners were among the dead, including 11 Indians, eight Britons and five Americans.
- In 2023, Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena to pay millions in compensation after finding him responsible for national security failures that led to the attacks.
Sri Lanka’s High Court in Colombo sentenced 15 men on Tuesday to prison terms of 200 to 260 years each for plotting the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 270 people and injured more than 500 in co-ordinated attacks on three churches and three luxury hotels. Nine other defendants were acquitted.
Who was convicted over the Easter Sunday attacks?
Among the 15 men convicted was Naufer Moulavi, whom prosecutors described as the mastermind of the suicide bombings. The defendants had been charged with more than 23,000 offences and were brought to court in two prison buses, handcuffed in pairs.
All of the bombers who carried out the attacks died in the blasts. Investigators have previously blamed Islamist extremists, and the 25 men indicted were from Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority. One of the 25 died in custody.
How long are the sentences?
Each of the 15 defendants received a term of between 200 and 260 years. The court also ordered the confiscation of all their movable and immovable assets.
Who were the victims?
Most of the 270 people killed were Sri Lankans, many of them children. They included the celebrity chef Shantha Mayadunne and her daughter, a family of five, at least eight staff members from the hotels that were targeted, and five members of the same family from the western city of Negombo.
Forty-five foreigners were among the dead: 11 Indians, eight Britons and five Americans, along with citizens of Australia, Bangladesh, China, Denmark, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. Three children of the Danish billionaire Anders Holch Povlsen died in the attack on the Shangri-La hotel, where the family was staying.
What did investigations find after the bombings?
Sri Lankan authorities pointed to a “major intelligence lapse” after the attacks, and parliament heard that a tip-off from India had not been properly shared with the authorities. In 2023 the Supreme Court ordered former president Maithripala Sirisena to pay millions in compensation to victims, after finding him responsible for national security failures that led to the bombings. Two former senior officials were sentenced to death for criminal negligence connected to the attacks a month before this verdict; death sentences are usually commuted to life in prison in Sri Lanka under a decades-old moratorium on executions.
Are investigations still under way?
A separate investigation into Suresh Sallay, a former intelligence chief arrested in February, is continuing. Sallay is accused of orchestrating the bombings with Islamist extremists, allegations that echo testimony in a 2023 Channel 4 documentary in which whistleblowers claimed the attacks were allowed to happen to boost the popularity of the Rajapaksa family.
Sallay denies the allegations, as does former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who was elected months after the 2019 attacks on a campaign of tackling Islamist extremism. Rajapaksa, who is banned from leaving Sri Lanka, has asked a court to block his potential arrest in connection with the ongoing investigations.
For years, Sri Lankans have held regular demonstrations demanding justice for the victims of the Easter attacks.
Frequently asked questions
How many people were convicted over the Sri Lanka Easter Sunday bombings?
Fifteen men were convicted and given prison terms of 200 to 260 years each. Nine other defendants were acquitted, and one of the 25 people indicted died in custody.
Who is Naufer Moulavi?
Naufer Moulavi is one of the 15 men convicted of plotting the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. Prosecutors described him as the mastermind of the suicide attacks.
Who died in the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks?
The bombings killed 270 people, most of them Sri Lankans, and injured more than 500. Forty-five foreigners were among the dead, including 11 Indians, eight Britons and five Americans.
Is anyone else under investigation for the bombings?
A separate investigation into former intelligence chief Suresh Sallay, arrested in February, is under way. He is accused of orchestrating the attacks with Islamist extremists and denies the allegations.
With reporting from BBC News.
Stock image, not from the events described. Globe World — Jo%E3o%20Silas / Wikimedia Commons (CC0 1.0)