Sri Lanka's ex-police chief sentenced to death over 2019 Easter bombings
A Sri Lanka court sentenced former police chief Pujith Jayasundara to death on Friday for failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people including 45 foreigners. A three-judge bench ruled in a majority decision that the former inspector general had failed in his duties to stop the attacks, blamed on a home-grown Islamist extremist group.
A Sri Lanka court sentenced former police chief Pujith Jayasundara to death on Friday for failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners.
A three-judge bench ruled in a majority decision that the former inspector general had failed in his duties to stop the deadly attacks, which were blamed on a home-grown Islamist extremist group. Jayasundara, 66, can appeal against his sentence in the Supreme Court.
Sri Lanka has not carried out the death penalty in practice for years, leaving it unclear whether the sentence will ultimately be enforced. The ruling marks a significant step in determining accountability for one of the country's deadliest terror attacks.
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