Sri Lanka’s Ex-Police Chief Sentenced to Death for Negligence in Bombings that Killed More than 260
The ruling follows findings that police and intelligence officials ignored repeated warnings before the Easter Sunday bombings that killed more than 260 people.
- On Friday, July 31, 2026, a High Court sentenced Police Chief Pujith Jayasundara to death for criminal negligence related to the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people.
- Authorities failed to act on warnings from an Indian agency regarding a suicide attack on April 4, 2019; Parliament found that police and intelligence officials ignored repeated alerts before the bombings.
- The near-simultaneous attacks targeted three tourist hotels and three churches, killing 45 foreigners. Prosecutors argued that Jayasundara's "negligence" amounted to "grave crimes against humanity" during the trial.
- Although sentenced to death, Jayasundara faces life imprisonment because Sri Lanka has maintained an informal moratorium on executions since 1976; around 800 people currently sit on death row.
- Jayasundara maintains the right to appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court. The Catholic Church claims identified perpetrators are not the true masterminds, suggesting a larger conspiracy behind the attacks.
82 Articles
82 Articles
Sri Lankan court rules officials could have stopped Easter terror attack
Sri Lanka's High Court has sentenced the country's former police chief to death - after a majority of judges ruled that he failed to act on warnings that suicide bombers planned to stage a series of attacks on Easter Sunday 2019.
Former Sri Lankan police chief, defence secy get death sentence over 2019 Easter Sunday bombings
Pujith Jayasundara and Hemasiri Fernando can challenge the sentence in the Supreme Court. As many as 279 people, including 45 foreign nationals, were killed in the suicide attacks.
Seven years ago, nearly 280 people died in suicide attacks in Sri Lanka. Now the then police chief of the island is punished.
Channel News Asia
Sri Lanka sentences two ex-security officials to death over 2019 Easter bombings
The court ruled that former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and ex-defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando failed to act despite receiving warnings about a possible attack.
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