A Sri Lankan court convicts 15 men of roles in the 2019 Easter Sunday suicide bombings, which targeted churches and hotels and killed hundreds of people. Multiple outlets report that prosecutors linked the attacks to the planning and execution of coordinated bombings carried out in the days after Easter 2019.
The bombings killed 260 to 279 people, depending on the reported figures, and the court verdict follows a trial that multiple sources describe as lengthy, lasting several years. Outlets also say the accused were tied to an Islamic State-inspired network and that they were members of Sri Lanka’s Muslim minority, although they differ in how they emphasize those details.
On sentencing, reports are consistent that each of the 15 convicted men receives a life sentence, with at least 200 years reported as a minimum term and other outlets describing fixed terms of about 200 years (including 220 years in one report). Several outlets characterize the case as one of the deadliest in Sri Lanka’s recent history since the end of the civil war.
Key points of agreement across coverage are the number of convictions (15), the nature of the attacks (coordinated suicide bombings), the targets (churches and hotels), and the life sentences imposed.
