Colombo: The former police chief of Sri Lanka, Pujith Jayasundara, and Hemasiri Fernando, a former senior official of the Ministry of Defence, have been sentenced to death by a court in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that resulted in the deaths of 279 people. The verdict was delivered by a special court for serious crimes, which found both men guilty on multiple charges, including failing to prevent the attacks despite receiving prior intelligence warnings, criminal dereliction of duty, intentional homicide, and attempted murder.
According to Thai News Agency, the court's decision comes after a previous acquittal of the two former high-ranking officials by a three-person trial court panel in 2022. However, the Supreme Court ordered the case to be reopened for reconsideration, leading to a new trial process that began last March. The bombings, which occurred on April 21, 2019, targeted three Christian churches and three hotels, marking the deadliest bombings in modern Sri Lankan history and leaving approximately 500 people injured.
Although Sri Lanka retains the death penalty under its law, the enforcement of such sentences has long been suspended in practice, with death sentences often commuted to life imprisonment. The ruling has stirred significant attention, given the severity of the charges and the high-profile nature of the defendants involved.