Justice for Easter Sunday is acid test for new administration

Since the change of administration last week, former CID Director Shani Abeysekara has revealed in public what has now been well-known for some time, the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks were a conspiracy. In a recent speech, the former detective detailed how military intelligence misled the CID during critical stages of the investigation and raised serious concerns about potential financial ties between intelligence agencies and the attackers. 

The Easter Sunday terrorist attacks on 21 April 2019 are a watershed moment in contemporary Sri Lankan history. The unexpected, callous attacks against purely civilian targets were heinous even by Sri Lankan standards, despite the country being deeply acquainted with three decades of political violence, which often took the form of terrorism. Over 270 civilians, mostly Christians targeted in four churches, died that day while dozens of locals and foreigners were killed in three five-star hotels also targeted.

Despite numerous commissions of inquiry, investigations by law enforcement authorities and a few indictments, no one has yet been found criminally accountable in a court of law for the Easter attacks. The whole process has also been undermined by political deal-making and interference. Former President Maithripala Sirisena who was at the time also Minister of Defence and Minister in Charge of the Police, and all State intelligence services has been given a free pass within the criminal justice system. Even after he was found to have been accountable in the fundamental rights case, the Attorney General’s departments never pursued a case on criminal negligence.

In addition to those who were criminally negligent to prevent the attacks, those who carried out the crime have not faced justice yet. It is further concerning that there is seemingly a cover-up of information and stalling of investigations regarding the incident. As highlighted in recent revelations one of the loose ends in the investigation is the alleged call made by one of the suicide bombers, supposedly to an individual linked with a State military intelligence agency before he detonated his explosives in Dehiwala. The whereabouts of one of the spouses of the bombers, who is believed to have known about the plot and may have been an informant, is unclear with some Government agencies and personnel claiming she is dead while others have given evidence that she may have escaped to a foreign country with the assistance of a Police officer.

Last year the UK broadcaster, Channel 4, in an hour-long documentary made startling revelations. Major General Suresh Sallay who continued to act as the Director General of the State Intelligence Service of Sri Lanka, was accused of meeting with the suicide bombers in a secret location several months before the attacks. A whistle-blower claims that Sallay called him on the day of the bombings and instructed him to go to the Taj Samudra Hotel to meet an individual. It was the suicide bomber tasked to blow himself up at the Taj who didn’t detonate his bomb but later killed himself at a lodge in Dehiwela. 

Shani Abeysekera who led the investigations into this crime, was incarcerated for 11 months under fabricated charges raising further questions on a motive for such action. Today, there is an opportunity to finally conclude this investigation and deliver justice to the victims of this heinous crime. How the new administration goes about this task will be an acid test to its commitment towards justice and accountability for many more similar outstanding cases.