• Says he will not disclose annexures of report citing ‘national security’ 
• Charges that Catholic Church has no moral right to obstruct public’s right to know

The leader of the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya (PHU) Udaya Gammanpila, announced his intention to release two unpublished reports related to the Easter Sunday attacks today (21), as the deadline he gave President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to make the reports public expires at 10 a.m.

The reports, commissioned by former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, focus on the alleged involvement of Sri Lanka’s intelligence services in relation to the 2019 attacks and also investigates allegations raised in a controversial documentary produced by the United Kingdom’s Channel 4 broadcaster.

Gammanpila, who claims to possess copies of these reports, had recently issued an ultimatum to the Government, urging it to release the reports within seven working days. He warned that if the Government failed to comply, he would publish them himself. However, he stated that he would not disclose the annexures to the reports, citing concerns over national security. In response to Gammanpila’s ultimatum, Cabinet Spokesperson and Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath stated at a recent Cabinet press conference that if Gammanpila had retained the reports without publication, he had committed an offence. Herath further gave Gammanpila three days to hand over the documents.

Addressing a press conference yesterday (20) Gammanpila defended his decision to release the reports, stating that their publication would not interfere with ongoing investigations into the attacks, as claimed by certain parties, including the Catholic Church. Responding to a statement made by a spokesperson for the Catholic Church of Sri Lanka, he argued that the Church “has no moral right to obstruct the people’s right to know the findings of the two reports,” emphasising that this is a national issue that extends beyond the Catholic community.

He also stressed that the President has a Constitutional obligation to release the reports by the deadline. He warned that failure to do so could result in impeachment proceedings. “If the President violates Article 38 of the Constitution and fails to release the reports by tomorrow, I will certainly make them public,” he asserted. Furthermore, Gammanpila stated that he would publish the reports even if he were arrested, insisting that his actions were within the law. He argued that there was no legal basis for his arrest under the Official Secrets Act No. 32 of 1955, as his actions were intended to protect the public’s right to information. He declared: “There is no space for the Government to arrest me. My act ensures the people’s right to know.”

Public Security Minister Vijitha Herath and Secretary to the President Dr. Sanath Nandika Kumanayake were unavailable to comment.

The two reports in question were compiled by separate Presidential committees. The first, led by retired Supreme Court Justice S.I. Imam, investigated the claims made in the Channel 4 documentary, which alleged collusion between the Sri Lankan intelligence services and the terror suspects involved in the Easter Sunday bombings. The second report by the committee chaired by retired Judge A.N.J. De Alwis focused on the intelligence services’ role in the attacks.