Emphasising that they will never allow the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019 to be faded in the sands of time, the Coalition of Catholic Lay Organisations (CCLO) stated that multiple local and foreign groups are currently gathering to seek justice for the victims of the said terror attacks.
Speaking at a media briefing, Attorney-at-Law Amila Egodamahawatte of the CCLO said that there were daily and weekly discussions ongoing both locally and internationally on the steps to be taken to bring justice to the victims of the terror attacks on Easter Sunday.
“Perhaps the rulers may think that this massacre will be lost in the sands of time, but we will not allow that to happen. Archbishop of Colombo His Eminence Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith is actively working on this. In addition, many groups including those from foreign countries are having frequent discussions on the steps to be taken.” he said.
He said that more than 1,000 days had passed since the terror attacks, but said that it was a serious matter whether a fair investigation was underway. Egodamahawatte noted that in the past, there has been a lot of talk in Parliament and in civil society about the shortcomings of the investigations into the said terror attacks.
“The report of the Parliamentary Select Committee (PSC) which investigated the Easter Sunday terror attacks was released. In addition, the report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) was also released, but now those who are clearly accused in those reports are holding high positions,” he claimed.
Speaking further, he said that although the authorities had stated that they had filed lawsuits against the suspects involved in the terror attacks, justice could not be done by filing lawsuits alone. Just because a lawsuit has been filed against someone does not mean that they are guilty. All the lawsuits should be filed with sufficient evidence and by identifying the suspects properly, he stressed. However, according to the information that is being revealed at present, it is questionable whether the relevant lawsuits have been filed in that manner, he alleged.
On 21 April 2019, Easter Sunday, three churches (St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya, St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, and Zion Church in Batticaloa) and three luxury hotels in Colombo (Cinnamon Grand Colombo, The Kingsbury Colombo, and Shangri-La Colombo) were targeted in a series of co-ordinated suicide bombings. Later that day, another two bomb explosions took place at a house in Dematagoda and the Tropical Inn Lodge in Dehiwala. A total of 269 people excluding the bombers were killed in the bombings, including about 45 foreign nationals, while at least 500 were injured.
Later, the PCoI was appointed to investigate the said terror attacks and the PCoI, in its final report, has made several recommendations including the filing of criminal charges against former President and incumbent Government Parliamentarian Maithripala Sirisena, former Defence Ministry Secretary Hemasiri Fernando, former Inspector General of Police Pujith Jayasundara, former State Intelligence Service Director Nilantha Jayawardena, former Chief of National Intelligence Sisira Mendis, and several others. However, most of the recommendations made by the said PCoI have not yet been implemented. As a result, several parties including the Catholic Church have been insisting on the need to implement the PCoI’s recommendations.
Meanwhile, claiming that all attempts made by the Catholic church to get justice for the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019 within the country have failed, Cardinal Ranjith last week said that they were currently exploring the possibilities to reach out to the international community, including the UN, to seek justice for the said terror attacks.
Speaking during a virtual forum on 23 January, he said: “We have tried our best to get justice from our people within our own context, but all these attempts have failed. Therefore, it does not leave us much room but to explore the possibilities of going international. That means that we will also be going to the UN.”
Noting that they, as the Catholic church, have links all over the world, the Archbishop said that they would also try to influence some pertinent and powerful countries that are in contact with the church. In addition, he said that in case they would be reaching out to the international community, such efforts would also be supported by his fellow cardinals around the world.
“Not only going to the UN, but we will try to influence some of the more pertinent and powerful countries that have a relationship with us, because, as the Catholic church, we are an international organisation and we have our links all over the world. Also, at my level as a Cardinal, I have my fellow brothers who are cardinals in different and important cities and countries with whom we will be able to do that.” Archbishop Ranjith said.