• Claims ‘para-State’ is serving the interests of fmr. political leaders 
• Criticises 2 fmr. AGs and AG’s Dept. for ‘sluggishness’ 
• Appeals to Prez to establish inde. prosecutor’s office to oversee related probes
• 167 deceased at St. Anthony’s Kochchikade/ St. Sebastian’s Katuwapitiya named ‘Witnesses of the Faith’

Colombo Archbishop Malcolm Cardinal Ranjith claimed that a ‘para-State’, which continues to operate within Sri Lanka’s State institutions, serving the interests of former political leaders, is still working to hide the truth behind the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 21 April 2019.

Speaking during an event at the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade to mark the sixth anniversary of the said terror attacks (the main memorial service), yesterday (21), he said that they were of the view that the Criminal Investigation Department and the Police should be deployed more strongly to investigate it in a diligent manner.

“It is regrettable that the efforts made by the previous political leadership to suppress the truth behind these attacks are still being implemented by a ‘para-State’ which operates within various State institutions.” Ranjith accused that elements of the previous political leadership are continuing efforts to suppress the truth surrounding the deadly Easter Sunday terror attacks, through certain Government institutions, even today. He alleged that a ‘para-State’ is operating within the country, controlled by various Government entities influenced by politically defeated forces. He emphasised that this structure continues to obstruct the path to justice.

He also accused the previous political leadership of attempting to create a division within the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Sri Lanka (CBCSL) and evading the issue in a naive manner. “The previous political leadership tried to create a rift within the CBCSL and avoided addressing the matter. It is shameful that they even extended that pretence through the international media,” he said.

He also criticised the conduct of former Attorney General (AG), President’s Counsel (PC) Sanjay Rajaratnam, during the previous administration in relation to the investigations. “Former AG Dappula de Livera PC said that a grand conspiracy was behind the attacks, but that statement was disregarded. The AG who took over after him, and the AG’s Department under his leadership, were slow to act on the background of these terror attacks and its legal proceedings. Their approach, which was loyal to those in power, shows us how strong this para-State is.”

The Cardinal criticised de Livera for failing to act on indications of a grand conspiracy behind the bombings, and accused the subsequent legal authorities of displaying deference toward those in power while undermining public accountability.

He added that it was regrettable that certain media institutions that support certain political forces were also active in further complicating this situation. “Certain media institutions are trying to sabotage the ongoing investigations to protect certain political leaders. We condemn these attempts to mislead the public and disrupt ongoing investigations.”

Cardinal Ranjith added that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has taken up this matter with enthusiasm and appointed a team of senior officials to lead the investigation. However, he alleged that the current legal system and the slow pace of certain officials responsible for implementing these efforts have created numerous obstacles. 

“The people granted this Government a two-thirds majority with the hope that it would bring about the necessary constitutional and legal reforms, expose the political and violent forces responsible for bloodshed in Sri Lanka, and hold accountable those linked to human rights violations, enforced disappearances, ‘white van’-based abductions, torture chambers, organised crime networks, and paramilitary units,” he added.

Despite the President’s sincere commitment to justice and the appointment of a team of high-ranking officials to lead the effort, Cardinal Ranjith expressed concern that the prevailing legal framework and the inertia of certain officials have created serious obstacles to progress. He noted that the public had granted the current Government a two-thirds majority in the hope that it would initiate the constitutional and legal reforms necessary to identify and prosecute those responsible for dark chapters in Sri Lanka’s history.

Emphasising that the Easter Sunday attacks are yet another heartbreaking chapter in the country’s long and painful story, he said that if the current laws are insufficient to ensure justice and cleanse the nation of corruption and extremism, the Government must have the courage to change those laws. “The public has clearly shown strong support for such reforms. Therefore, we urge the President to take decisive action to rid our society of these undemocratic and politically driven crimes. We sincerely hope that you (President) will not let the blood of the victims of these attacks be forgotten. As you pledged at the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya on 6 October of last year (2024), we trust that you will uncover the full truth and bring all those responsible to justice.” He stressed that if the existing laws are insufficient to ensure justice, it is the Government’s duty to change them — boldly and decisively.

He said that they have always believed that attacks of this magnitude, executed simultaneously at several locations, could not have been carried out by just the terrorists alone. 

“It would have required the support of a more powerful group operating behind the scenes. Since that tragic day, we have continuously called on the authorities to properly investigate what happened and uncover the hidden hands behind the attacks. The Commission of Inquiry (CoI) appointed by former President Maithripala Sirisena focused on two main areas in its report: National Thowheed Jamaath (NTJ) Leader Hashim and his group’s direct involvement in the attack, as well as the issue of Islamic extremism and how to address it; and the fact that Indian intelligence had repeatedly warned the Sri Lankan authorities beforehand, and recommendations on political leaders, the Police, the military, and Intelligence officers who failed to act.”

However, Cardinal Ranjith said that the CoI was not empowered or supported enough to investigate those who were behind the scene. “They lacked the time, the resources, and legal authority to pursue several suspicious and unresolved issues including the fate of the wife of Atchchi Muhammadu Muhammadu Hastun who carried out the bombing at the Katuwapitiya Church, Sarah Jasmine. Despite these limitations, the CoI did its best within the boundaries that it was given. But, since then, new evidence has emerged that casts even more doubt on what really happened. Some actions taken by the then Government after receiving the CoI’s report — especially efforts to obstruct a fair investigation — and their failure to follow through on the promises made during the 2019 Presidential Election, further the suspicion that a hidden hand was involved in orchestrating these attacks.”

Cardinal Ranjith reaffirmed his hope that those responsible for the attacks would be brought to justice without delay and made a series of direct appeals to the President, outlining the following seven key requests: Presenting the full report pertaining to the Easter Sunday terror attacks to the Parliament and making it public: establishing an independent prosecutor’s office to oversee the investigations and prosecutions related to the attacks; Identifying all the forces behind the attacks, revealing the full truth to the public, and prosecuting those responsible regardless of their rank or position; Fully implementing the recommendations of the report provided by the CoI appointed to investigate the attacks dated 21 September 2019; Investigating the alleged ties between the Military Intelligence Unit and alleged terrorist leader Hashim, and thoroughly examining the claims made in the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 programme, including statements from key witness Asad Maulana; Enacting new laws to dismantle the lawlessness and para-political structures that enabled the conspiracy behind the attacks; and fostering a new political culture where those in power serve the people, rather than ruling over them.

He further urged President Dissanayake to take firm action to eradicate all forms of anti-democratic and politically motivated activity, and to honour the promise he made in Katuwapitiya on 6 October 2024 — to ensure that the blood of the innocent would not be forgotten, and to uncover the full truth behind the attacks. “It is our sincere hope that you will not allow this national tragedy to be buried by time,” Cardinal Ranjith said. “Justice must prevail, and all those involved must be held accountable.”

During the commemoration yesterday, Archbishop Ranjith announced that a total of 167 individuals who were killed in the Easter Sunday terror attacks at the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade and the St. Sebastian’s Church in Katuwapitiya had been named ‘Witnesses of the Faith’.

He said that the names of these 167 Catholics, who lost their lives in the bombings, had been officially included in the Catalogue of the Witnesses of the Faith by the Vatican, through the Dicastery for the Causes of Saints.

Sri Lanka was left devastated on 21 April 2019 after a group of suicide attackers of the now-outlawed local Islamic extremist organisation NTJ carried out a series of coordinated bomb blasts at the St. Anthony’s Church, the St. Sebastian’s Church, the Zion Church in Batticaloa, and the Cinnamon Grand, The Kingsbury and Shangri-La Hotels in Colombo and a guest house in Dehiwala, leaving more than 270 people including foreigners dead and at least 500 people injured.