By The Pulseline News Desk
Fifteen defendants convicted in connection with Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter Sunday attacks have been sentenced to between 200 and 260 years of rigorous imprisonment each, marking a major development in the long-running criminal proceedings over the attacks that claimed hundreds of lives.
The sentences were delivered today by the Colombo Permanent High Court Trial-at-Bar, following the court’s conviction of 15 of the 24 accused in the case.
Five of the convicts were sentenced to 200 years of rigorous imprisonment each, while another five received 220 years each. Four defendants were sentenced to 240 years each, and one was handed a 260-year sentence.
The court also ordered the confiscation of the movable and immovable property belonging to all 15 convicts, with the confiscation taking effect from the commencement of their respective sentences.
The case was filed against 24 defendants over more than 23,000 charges relating to the Easter Sunday attacks, including allegations of conspiracy, aiding and abetting and other offences connected to the attacks.
The attacks on 21 April 2019, targeting churches and hotels in Colombo and other areas, killed more than 250 people and injured hundreds of others. The coordinated bombings triggered one of Sri Lanka’s most extensive terrorism investigations and led to years of criminal and judicial proceedings.
The 15 convicted defendants are:
Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufar alias Naufar Mawlavi
Mohamed Saribu Adham Lebbe alias Gafoor Mama
Hayathu Mohamed Ahmed Milhan
Mohamed Ibrahim Sadiq Abdullah
Mohamed Ibrahim Hafiz Abdul Haq
Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Rizkan
Mohamed Mansoor Mohamed Sanasdeen
Abdul Manaf Mohamed Firdous
Mohamed Rameez Mohamed Saajith
Abdul Latheef Mohamed Safi
Husainul Rizvi Khalid Sameer
Mohamed Hanifa Zainul Abdeen
Mohamed Mustafa Mohamed Haris
Razik Raza Hussain
Kachchi Mohamed Mohamed Jemsith
The remaining nine defendants in the case were acquitted by the Trial-at-Bar.
The verdict and sentencing represent a significant judicial milestone in proceedings arising from the Easter Sunday attacks, which have remained a major national issue amid continuing demands for accountability and a full determination of responsibility for the attacks.
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