Christians in Sri Lanka have cautiously welcomed the sentencing of 15 men to more than two centuries each behind bars for their roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings, which killed at least 267 people at churches and hotels. At least 39 of the dead were foreign tourists, including at least four Americans.
A three-judge High Court bench last week convicted 15 of the 24 defendants and ordered them to serve consecutive terms totaling between 200 and 260 years each, according to the United Kingdom-based religious freedom advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). Nine suicide bombers carried out the attacks on April 21, 2019. All of them died. Six struck three churches during Easter services and three luxury hotels.
Another blew himself up at a motel, and two others died after abandoning a plan to bomb a fourth hotel. Hundreds more people were wounded, with estimates ranging from more than 500 to nearly 600. The bombings, inspired by the Islamic State terror group (IS), rank among the deadliest terror attacks in Sri Lanka’s history. Two Sri Lanka-based Islamist militant groups were believed to be behind them.
One of the Americans killed was a fifth-grader at a private school in Washington, D.C. Another 28 foreigners were wounded. "After more than seven years, this is an important step towards justice for the victims, survivors and their families," The National Christian Evangelical Alliance Sri Lanka said in a statement. "However, this verdict should not be the end of the search for truth and accountability.
Questions remain about whether others were involved in planning, supporting or enabling the attacks. These matters must continue to be investigated in a credible and transparent way." The indictment, brought under Sri Lanka’s anti-terror law, the Prevention of Terrorism Act, listed 23,270 charges, including murder and terrorism conspiracy.