Supreme Court in Sri Lanka orders compensation for Easter Sunday victims
There are steps towards justice in Sri Lanka, with the news that families of the victims of the Easter Sunday bombings are to be given compensation. But with no one still yet held accountable for the attacks four years ago, questions remain. Please continue to pray.
One of the churches targeted in the Easter Sunday bombings in 2019
There is good news from Sri Lanka, after the Supreme Court ruled that compensation be given to the families of victims of the 2019 Easter bombings.
More than 250 people were killed when suicide bombers targeted six locations, including three churches, on Easter Sunday four years ago. Many more were injured.
On 12 January 2023, the country’s highest court ruled in favour of the victims and ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena and four high-ranking officials to pay 310 million rupees (around £700,000) in compensation from their own personal funds.
The 85-page report issued by the Supreme Court observed that the president and officials had not taken action to prevent the attacks, despite repeated warnings from intelligence services in the months and weeks leading up to 21 April 2019.
More answers needed before justice is served
“The news of the Supreme Court ruling made me glad,” said a local partner. “Now all the citizens understand that these people had all the information and the power to stop hundreds of innocent lives from being lost but decided to do nothing about it.”
"Until we have more answers, Christians won’t feel safe and justice won’t be served" Open Doors local partners
But the partner stressed that questions remain since no one has yet been held responsible for the attacks. “People still have so many questions: Who planned the attack? Why were Christians targeted? Until we have more answers, Christians won’t feel safe, and justice won’t be served.”
“Based on this verdict we expect this case to be taken forward,” said Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, a prominent church leader in Sri Lanka, to reporters. “Justice for the victims will only happen when the entire truth comes out. This decision is just a milestone in that journey.”
