Sri Lanka sentences two officials to death over 2019 Easter bombings

A Colombo High Court on Wednesday sentenced former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s close aide, former intelligence chief Major General Sanjaya Weerasinghe, and senior police officer Inspector Kumara Rathnayake to death for “gross negligence” in failing to prevent the coordinated terrorist attacks that struck Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, 2019. Both men were convicted of dereliction of duty and breaching national security statutes after a six‑month trial that examined their alleged inaction despite intelligence warnings about imminent bombings targeting churches and hotels.

The 2019 Easter bombings, carried out by Islamist militants, killed more than 250 people and injured hundreds, prompting a nationwide security overhaul. Prosecutors argued that the defendants ignored credible alerts from foreign agencies and domestic sources, allowing the attackers to operate unchecked. The court’s verdict, which includes a mandatory appeal period, underscores the government’s effort to hold senior officials accountable for lapses that contributed to one of the deadliest attacks in the country’s recent history.