ECONOMYNEXT – Welcoming the Supreme Court verdict on Sri Lanka’s 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has urged the government to provide full reparations to the victims, establish the truth and ensure justice.

“Whilst no amount of compensation can ever erase the suffering and pain of the victims and families, this judgment marks a step in the victims’ struggle for recognition of the harm suffered and their rights to truth, justice and reparation. The UN Human Rights Office calls on the Government to ensure that victims receive adequate compensation and that they and their representatives are fully consulted in the disbursement of the funds,” the OHCHR said in a statement on Wednesday January 18.

The UN has on multiple occasions called for justice for Easter victims and for an independent probe on the attack. The bombings, carried out by Islamist terrorists, have been shrouded in mystery in Sri Lanka with several parties including the Catholic Church claiming that there was a politically motivated “grand conspiracy” behind it, though evidence has so far been scarce. However, the failure to act on prior intelligence has been well established.

On January 12, the Supreme Court ordered former President Maithripala Sirisena, four other senior defence and intelligence officials and the State to pay compensation totalling 311 million rupees, the equivalent of roughly 850,000 US dollars, to victims of the Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people and injured over 500.

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The unprecedented verdict was welcomed by Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church which also anticipates criminal proceedings against some of the respondents.

Head of Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith said on January 13 that he was “very happy” with the verdict and expressed his hope that it will mark the beginning of a new era where equality before the law is entrenched in society and no public official or politician operates above the law.

In its statement, the OHCHR noted that, in a previous decision, the Supreme Court had found that proceedings against incumbent President Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was the Prime Minister at the time of the attacks, could not continue given the immunities that he enjoys while in office.

“In its judgment, the Court expressed ‘shock and dismay’ at the lack of ‘oversight and inaction’ by the security and intelligence officials – ruling that the former President and his top security officials had failed to prevent the attacks, despite detailed intelligence suggesting such attacks were imminent,” the UN statement said.

“The UN Human Rights Office reiterates its recommendations to the Government of Sri Lanka to release the complete findings of previous inquiries into the Easter Sunday bombings and to establish a follow-up independent, thorough and transparent investigation with international assistance and the full participation of victims and their representatives and to hold all those responsible fully to account,” it added.

The court odered ex President Sirisena pay a sum of 100 million rupees, former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and former State Intelligence Service (SIS) Director Nilantha Jayawardena 75 million rupees each, former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando 50 million rupees and former Chief of National Intelligence (CNI) Sisira Mendis 10 million rupees as compensation.

The State was also ordered to pay one million rupees as compensation to the victims.

President’s Counsel Shamil Perera who appeared for the archbishop said that he expects criminal proceedings will be filed by the Attorney General against Sirisena, Jayawardena and Mendis as soon as possible.

The prelate has been crusading for justice for the families of the victims in a relentless campaign that saw the church hint at a conspiracy behind the attack. On more than one occasion, he openly berated the government of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa for what he claimed was its lethargy and lack of interest in investigating the case.

Though the church is satisfied with the Supreme Court’s verdict, Cardinal Ranjith said the church will not give up the fight until the masterminds of the attack are brought to justice. Only after a full investigation has been complicated can there be true justice, he said.

“This is an important step in the journey to find that truth.”

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(Colombo/Jan19/2023)