Sri Lanka court hands death sentences to former police chief and defence secretary over 2019 Easter bombings
Sri Lanka court hands death sentences to ex-officials in 2019 Easter bombings; Pujith Jayasundara and Hemasiri Fernando convicted for criminal negligence after intelligence failures.
The High Court on Friday delivered death sentences to former Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara and ex-Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando after finding them guilty of criminal negligence linked to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings. The Sri Lanka death sentences follow a 2–1 ruling by a three-member bench at a special fast-track court, reversing earlier acquittals and intensifying public scrutiny of security lapses before the attacks. Both men were convicted over alleged failures to act on intelligence warnings that preceded coordinated suicide bombings at churches and hotels across the country.
Court delivers split verdict
The three-judge panel issued its decision after the state appealed a 2022 ruling that had acquitted Jayasundara and Fernando. Two judges formed the majority that found the pair culpable for neglecting clear intelligence, while the dissenting judge argued the men had neither motive nor direct links to the attackers.
The fast-track court process was used to expedite the case in light of its national sensitivity and the gravity of the charges. Prosecutors argued that failures at senior levels of the security apparatus allowed the bombers to strike, while defence counsel emphasised lack of evidence tying the two officials to operational planning.
Convictions and sentencing details
Prosecutors said the convictions were based on the officials’ alleged omission to translate repeated warnings into protective action ahead of the April 2019 attacks. The court concluded that those failures constituted criminal negligence contributing to the scale of the tragedy.
Under a prior civil ruling, the two men were ordered to pay 125 million Sri Lankan rupees in damages to survivors, a decision that underscored the judiciary’s earlier findings of administrative responsibility. The latest criminal sentences now raise questions about the legal pathway and the likelihood of executions given existing national practice.
Intelligence warnings and inquiry findings
Court testimony included reference to an alert from an Indian intelligence agency on April 4, 2019, warning of a possible suicide attack, but the state says Sri Lankan authorities did not take sufficient action. Parliamentary and independent inquiries since the bombings have repeatedly pointed to lapses across police and intelligence services.
Investigators have detailed a pattern of missed signals and poor information-sharing between agencies in the weeks before the bombings. Those inquiries fuelled public anger and prompted reforms intended to strengthen counterterrorism coordination, though critics say implementation has been uneven.
Defence response and planned appeals
Chaminda Athukorale, the defence lawyer for Jayasundara and Fernando, said the pair will lodge appeals within the statutory two-week window and pointed to the dissenting opinion as a key basis for overturning the verdict. The defence maintains the two men were senior administrators who lacked motive and direct involvement with the perpetrators.
Legal analysts say the appeals process could extend over months or years and will likely revisit both evidentiary issues and legal standards for criminal negligence. The defendants remain entitled to exhaust domestic remedies before any potential international legal avenues would be considered.
Death sentence practice and political context
Sri Lanka has not carried out an execution since a moratorium began in 1976, meaning that a death sentence typically becomes a life term in practice. Current President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has publicly expressed support for maintaining the moratorium, complicating questions about the ultimate penal outcome of the convictions.
Government figures presented to parliament in February showed roughly 800 inmates on death row, underscoring a wider debate about capital punishment and its place in Sri Lanka’s legal system. Human rights groups and legal commentators have urged clarity from the administration on whether sentences will be commuted or reinstated as active capital punishments.
Wider prosecutions and remaining inquiries
Investigations into the Easter Sunday network continue in parallel courts, with separate trials of individuals alleged to have direct links to ISIL-inspired groups that claimed responsibility. Prosecutors say many of those who executed the attacks are deceased, but they maintain proceedings against alleged collaborators and facilitators.
Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church and other civic voices have continued to call for full accountability, asserting that those identified so far are not the only architects of the violence. Ongoing prosecutions and parliamentary reviews are expected to keep pressure on authorities to resolve outstanding questions about coordination failures and potential conspiracies.
The sentencing marks a significant legal milestone in the long aftermath of the 2019 attacks, but it is unlikely to close the chapter on public demands for clarity and justice. Appeals, broader trials and political debate over the death penalty ensure the case will remain a central issue for Sri Lanka’s justice and security sectors in the months ahead.
