Catholic Church leaders in Sri Lanka called for international support to help “mete out justice to the victims” of the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed at least 279 people.
In a statement, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Sri Lanka noted that more than 1,000 days have passed since the bomb attacks, yet justice remains elusive for the families of the victims.
The coordinated suicide bombings on three churches, four hotels, and one housing complex on April 21, 2019, Easter Sunday, took place while Masses and religious services were held.
The Catholic Church leaders said they have appealed to the government “time and again … to bring before the Courts of Justice all responsible for the onslaught on hundreds of innocent lives.”
The bishops said they are “appalled” at the apparent failure of the government “to move to implement the recommendations” made by a commission tasked to investigate the attacks.
“As there seems to be not only a delay but attempts to hide the truth, exploit the massacre for political gain and also to complicate the issues, we see no option other than to seek international assistance to help mete out justice to the victims,” read the bishops’ statement.
Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith of Colombo has earlier called for international support, saying he already lost trust in the current government and in the attorney general to solve the case.
“The government hasn’t kept any of its promises to do justice for the Easter attack, so we won’t be able to get the truth from this government,” he said in a statement released last month.
“To have the justice we hope for, we must wait for the next government,” said the prelate.
On February 18, Sri Lanka’s High Court dismissed charges against Pujith Jayasundara, who was Inspector General of Police, and Hemasiri Fernando, who was permanent secretary to the Ministry of Defence.
They were accused of failing to act on warnings of an imminent attack given by foreign intelligence agencies.
The Presidential Commission on the Easter attacks has called for legal action against several individuals, but Cardinal Ranjith said tha “due to the misconduct of the attorney general and of his department, a situation has arisen in which justice is not served.”
Cardinal Ranjith alleged that the government and the attorney general concealed evidence from the presidential commission.
“We have sent letters asking for those volumes. Both the previous government and the present government have acted to conceal the evidence without considering any of those requests,” he said.
Cardinal Ranjith has consistently been critical of the government’s handling of information prior to the bombing, and of its investigation and prosecution since.
In September 2021 the cardinal reiterated his call for a “transparent investigation, which ascertains instigators and responsibility for the Easter attacks.”
He said, “the Church and the entire nation, shocked by terrorism, have the right to know the truth, have the right to receive justice.”
Cardinal Ranjith said he fears that the government “does not want to find out the truth about the attack,” adding that “it wants to cover up everything and wash its hands.”
In an earlier statement, Cardinal Ranjith said the country is “still not secure and attacks like the one that took place on Easter Sunday are still possible at any time.”
