Sri Lanka Sentences 15 Men to Up to 220 Years Each Over 2019 Easter Bombings

A high court in Colombo has sentenced 15 men to 220 years in prison each after finding them guilty of participating in the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings in Sri Lanka, which killed 279 people and wounded hundreds more.

The verdict, handed down Tuesday, September 22, addresses the coordinated attacks on churches and hotels that took place on Easter Sunday in April 2019, among the deadliest terrorist attacks in the country's recent history.

The lengthy prison terms reflect Sri Lanka's judicial response to what was widely viewed as a significant failure of the country's security apparatus, which had reportedly received prior intelligence warnings that were not acted upon before the attacks occurred.

The attacks were claimed by a local extremist group with alleged ties to ISIL (ISIS), and the bombings had a profound and lasting effect on Sri Lanka's tourism industry and its interfaith relations.

The sentencing marks one of the most significant judicial outcomes connected to the attacks more than six years after they occurred.