Sri Lanka convicts 15 for 2019 Easter bombings, imposes death penalties

Sri Lanka’s Colombo High Court sentenced 15 defendants on Tuesday for the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 279 people at churches and luxury hotels in April 2019. The judges handed down a mix of death sentences, life terms and long prison terms after a 15‑month trial that examined the planning and execution of the attacks.

The verdict comes as the country still wrestles with the fallout of the deadliest terror strike in its modern history. The bombings shocked a nation still recovering from a three‑year civil war and sparked a wave of anti‑Muslim riots. Earlier investigations revealed that foreign intelligence agencies had warned Sri Lankan authorities about an imminent plot, but officials said the alerts were not acted on in time. The failure to prevent the attacks led to the resignation of several senior ministers and a reshuffle of the security apparatus.

Among those convicted were three men linked to the local extremist group National Thowheed Jama’ath, two Sri Lankan nationals who traveled to Syria to join ISIS, and several accomplices who helped procure explosives and vehicles. Three received death sentences, eight were given life imprisonment and the remaining four got terms ranging from 20 to 30 years. Families of the victims gathered outside the courtroom, some weeping, others demanding harsher punishments. President Ranil Wickremesinghe praised the court’s work, saying it showed “justice can be done even after years of pain.” Human rights groups, however, warned that the death sentences could face international scrutiny.

The convictions are not final; the defendants have the right to appeal to the Supreme Court, a process that could take months. The government has pledged to tighten intelligence sharing and to overhaul airport security, hoping to restore confidence among tourists and investors. The case also fuels a broader debate on how Sri Lanka balances counter‑terrorism measures with civil liberties, a tension that will shape the country’s political landscape in the months ahead.