One of the convicts sentenced in the Easter Sunday attacks case told open court that those truly responsible for the 2019 terror attacks remain at large and that he is prepared to provide evidence if given the opportunity to assist in delivering justice.
The statement was made by the sixth accused, Mohamed Anwar Mohamed Riskan alias Abu Thariq, after he was convicted and sentenced to 200 years’ imprisonment in the landmark Easter Sunday attacks case.
Making a plea for leniency after being found guilty, Riskan told the court that those who committed the wrongdoing should be punished, while maintaining that he and his family had not committed any offence.
The verdict in the long-running Easter Sunday case was delivered on Tuesday (22) night by a three-judge bench of the Colombo High Court comprising Navaratna Marasinghe, Ramanathan Kannan and Sujeewa Nissanka. Riskan was found guilty of the charges against him and sentenced to 200 years’ imprisonment.
Throughout the trial, Riskan did not make any statements before the court and was not represented by legal counsel. It was only during his mitigation plea before sentencing that he addressed the court.
During his statement, Riskan said:
“My family has done nothing wrong to the victims. Allah knows we have done nothing wrong. Something happened and we became caught up in it. There is no smoke without fire. The people who should be held responsible for this are still outside enjoying their freedom. Those who are outside and connected to this incident are living with this burden over their heads. If I am given one opportunity to ensure justice, I will speak for the sake of justice. Why have we been placed in this position for something we did not do? A wrong has happened, but we did not do it. Those who committed the crime must definitely be punished. I have never seen a trial like this before. My wife is suffering from cancer. My mother is 75 years old. My sister has completed her Ordinary Level examinations. But I do not think about those things. I am completely at peace. I am willing to give evidence regarding this incident. That means ensuring justice.”
The verdict was delivered unanimously by the three-member High Court bench.
Of the 24 accused who stood trial, 15 were convicted and handed prison sentences ranging from 200 to 260 years, while nine others were acquitted after the court determined that the charges against them had not been proven beyond reasonable doubt.
Explaining the judgment, High Court Judge Navaratna Marasinghe said the indictment alleged that the accused had committed punishable offences under the Prevention of Terrorism Act, including conspiracy to carry out the attacks, aiding and abetting, promoting extremist ideology and creating discord among communities.
The judge noted that the court paid particular attention to evidence relating to extremist sermons delivered before the attacks, weapons training programmes and the maintenance of safe houses used in furtherance of the activities.
The court also observed that individuals involved in a conspiracy do not need to be physically present in the same place. A person may become part of a conspiracy directly or indirectly, at the beginning, middle or end of the operation, and anyone involved in such a manner becomes a participant in that conspiracy.
Judge Marasinghe further stated that the court carefully considered the defence statements made by the accused and rejected the explanations offered by the first, second, third, fourth and fifth accused, observing that those statements appeared to have been made after consideration of the seriousness of the allegations against them.
The trial commenced before the Permanent Trial-at-Bar on October 10, 2023, and concluded on August 24 this year after extensive proceedings.
A total of 23,270 charges were filed against the 24 accused. The prosecution called 2,309 witnesses during the proceedings, making it one of the largest and most complex criminal trials in Sri Lanka’s history.
The court accepted as evidence ten confessional statements made by the accused to police under the Prevention of Terrorism Act after determining that they had been given voluntarily.
The prosecution also submitted Government Analyst reports, DNA reports and judicial medical reports relating to victims who died in the attacks.
In a significant aspect of the trial, the prosecution presented 2,076 productions, including explosives, chemicals used for manufacturing explosives, swords and firearms.
The court also gave significant attention to video footage contained in a pen drive submitted as evidence by the prosecution. The footage showed eight individuals, including Zahran Hashim, and the court heard evidence identifying the persons featured in the recordings.
The videos had been recorded on the day before the Easter Sunday attacks of April 21, 2019. In the footage, individuals were heard making statements including:
“We are coming with bombs strapped to us and smiling. Tomorrow we will do this.”
Evidence was also led relating to the group making a bay’ah declaration while displaying an ISIS flag. The footage had been recorded at a location identified as Span Tower in Mount Lavinia.
The court concluded that the footage demonstrated the extremist ideology held by Zahran and members of his group.
During submissions, Senior Deputy Solicitor General Haripriya Jayasundara recalled the impact of the evidence presented during the trial.
“Your Lordship, we examined the video footage on a large screen in court. The contents alone helped explain why this attack took place. It was a carefully planned series of attacks. During this trial, I often felt as though the hands of the clock should move faster because the evidence was so painful. From the 163rd minute of the footage, witness Anas identified the main individual. He had previously attended Zahran’s training camps. I am happy to see how he changed course completely. During his testimony, he told the court that what was taught in those classes was hatred and anger. Can one group of people take away the happiness of others?”
Under the order of the Permanent Trial-at-Bar, Mohamed Ibrahim Mohamed Naufar alias Naufar Moulavi and 14 other accused were sentenced to prison terms ranging from 200 to 260 years.
The 18th accused, Yaseen Bawa Abdul Rauf, died in prison during the course of the trial.
Following the verdict, the court ordered that parties be provided copies of the proceedings free of charge and informed them of their right to appeal the judgment.
The 15 convicted individuals and the nine acquitted accused were escorted back to prison under heavy security at around 2 a.m. on Wednesday (23).
Authorities said the release of those acquitted would depend on the status of any other legal proceedings pending against them.