ECONOMYNEXT – On April 21, 2025, Sri Lanka marks the sixth anniversary of the devastating Easter Sunday suicide bombings that claimed at least 269 lives and injured over 500, casting a long shadow over the country’s post-war recovery and national security.
Six years later, the grief remains raw for many Sri Lankans, not only because of the horror of that day but because justice, accountability, and closure continue to be elusive.
As the nation remembers, it must also confront the uncomfortable truths behind the attack: the systemic failures, political opportunism, and a justice system mired in delay.
More importantly, it must ask what delivering justice really means, and what it will take to achieve it.
Implications of the Attack
The Easter Sunday attacks on April 21, 2019, marked one of the deadliest terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka’s history, second only to the worst days of the civil war.
The coordinated suicide bombings on churches and hotels by Islamist extremists shocked a nation that had just begun to believe in lasting peace.
But the implications went far beyond the loss of life.
Social cohesion was shaken as Muslims, a minority community in Sri Lanka, faced collective suspicion and reprisal.
The economy, especially tourism, nosedived.
International confidence in Sri Lanka’s security apparatus waned.
More insidiously, the attack set the stage for dramatic political changes that would reshape the country’s governance in the years to come.
Delay in Justice
Six years later, the victims’ families are still asking the same questions: Who really planned the attacks? Why were multiple intelligence warnings, especially from India, ignored? Why was no one held accountable at the highest levels of government and security?
Despite numerous investigations—including a Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) and several court proceedings—key perpetrators, facilitators, and political enablers remain untouched by the legal system.
While a few operatives linked to the attack have been tried, the larger network, and those who failed to prevent the tragedy despite forewarnings, have largely escaped scrutiny or punishment.
Reasons for Delay
The reasons for the delay are deeply rooted in a mix of institutional inertia, deliberate obfuscation, and political interference.
First, the bureaucratic and legal processes in Sri Lanka are notoriously slow, with complex investigations often dragged on for years without resolution.
Second, the politicization of law enforcement—especially during changes in government—has meant that investigations were either stalled or redirected, depending on who was in power.
Perhaps more importantly, the failure to act decisively stems from a reluctance to expose state and security sector negligence.
Intelligence reports, including those from Indian sources, had warned of imminent attacks. Yet, both the then-President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe later claimed they were unaware of these warnings—a claim challenged by testimonies and records.
Politics Behind Easter Attack
The political aftermath of the Easter bombings was nothing short of seismic.
Just months later, in November 2019, Gotabaya Rajapaksa won the presidential election in a landslide.
Campaigning heavily on a platform of national security, he promised strength and protection in a time of fear.
Many have since raised serious questions:
Was the Easter attack exploited to stoke fear and engineer a political comeback for the Rajapaksa family? Could it have been prevented, and if so, why wasn’t it? Some conspiracy theories suggest state complicity or willful negligence—allegations yet to be conclusively proven but never fully investigated either.
The Rajapaksa regime that followed used the attack to tighten national security laws, marginalize minorities further, and consolidate executive power.
Critics argue that rather than pursuing truth, the government used the tragedy as a political weapon.
Who Benefited?
Clearly, the Rajapaksa political machine was among the main beneficiaries.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who had served as Defense Secretary during the war, positioned himself as the savior Sri Lanka needed after the attacks.
His victory narrative was built on fear, promising to restore a “secure” Sri Lanka—something many voters found appealing in the aftermath of terror.
Certain security sector elites also benefited.
The attacks led to increased budgets and powers for intelligence and military agencies, with little accountability.
Meanwhile, ultranationalist and anti-Muslim forces found new ground to justify discrimination, harassment, and violence.
For the victims and the broader public, however, there were no gains—only losses: lost lives, lost trust, and a lost opportunity for national healing.
Delivering Justice: Meaning for Sri Lankans
Delivering justice for the Easter Sunday attacks is more than prosecuting a few suspects or punishing junior-level accomplices.
For most Sri Lankans—especially the victims’ families—justice means full accountability: holding political leaders, security officials, and all complicit parties responsible.
It also means transparency—declassifying key intelligence reports, releasing the full findings of the Presidential Commission, and acting on its recommendations.
It means ending impunity for those in power, and ensuring such a failure never happens again.
Justice also has a healing dimension.
Acknowledgment of failure, an apology from the state, and reparations are part of the broader moral responsibility the government owes its citizens.
The continued delay not only deepens the pain of victims but weakens public confidence in democratic institutions.
If such a massive, preventable tragedy can go unresolved for years, what hope is there for justice in less high-profile cases? (Colombo/April 20/2025)
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