Archbishop Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has expressed serious concerns regarding the investigation process of the Easter attacks that took place in Sri Lanka.
He highlighted that the current government is not taking the necessary steps to implement the recommendations provided by the presidential commission investigating the attack.
Additionally, Cardinal has accused former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa of playing a role in suppressing the Easter attack. He has further claimed that the current government continues suppressing the investigation process even more.
These allegations raise serious doubts about the transparency and fairness of the investigation process and the need for further action to bring those responsible to justice.
Non-implementation of the recommendations of the Presidential Commission
The Cardinal made a statement in response to the press release issued by former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa.
During a program held on April 21 to mark the 5th anniversary of the Easter Sunday terror attack, the Cardinal accused Rajapaksa of hindering the investigation process.
The Cardinal pointed out that the former President had informed him over the phone that it would be challenging to implement the recommendations in the final report of the presidential commission investigating the attack.
Gotabaya’s phone call
After being accused, former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa released a statement in response.
He stated that he had contacted the Cardinal immediately after receiving the Presidential Commission report and did not express any difficulty in implementing the recommendations.
Furthermore, during a program on April 21, the former President addressed the other accusations made against him by the cardinals.
One organisation cannot be banned
Cardinal has issued a statement in response to a press release by former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, clarifying the facts.
The former President claimed that he did not call Cardinal the day after receiving the final report of the Presidential Commission.
Still, Cardinal has pointed out that this claim is false. The relevant report had recommended that several organisations be banned, including Islamic extremist groups.
The former President expressed his unwillingness to ban one of these organisations, which Cardinal claims he was informed of during the call.
Cardinal has also revealed that they were clearly told that proposed actions against certain organisations could not be carried out because they were friendly towards them.
The report detailed the recommendations to ban extremist organisations and details of other organisations that should also be banned.
No punishment for those responsible for not preventing the attack
Cardinal has responded to the accusation made by former President Gotabhaya Rajapaksa that the Cardinal only blames himself without criticising the terrorists who carried out the Easter attack, as well as the various parties who were inactive against them.
Cardinal states that there is no truth to this accusation, and he questions why he did not act during his tenure to implement the recommendations made by the commission against the high officials of the police who failed to prevent the attack and the former President Maithripala Sirisena.
He further emphasised that the current government is even more strongly following the practice of suppressing the Easter attack, started by Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, without investigating and prosecuting the recommendations of the Presidential Commission.
269 people lost their lives in the attack
On April 21, 2019, a suicide terrorist attack occurred, resulting in the loss of 269 lives across six locations, including three churches and three hotels.
Following the attack, Britain’s Channel 4 released a controversial video suggesting that the motive behind the Easter Sunday attack was to gain political power.
The footage used statements from Hansir Asad Maulana, the former press secretary of Sivaneshature Chandrakanthan alias Pillayan, as evidence.
The report sparked significant controversy both domestically and internationally.
Despite the attack’s attention, no specific person has been identified as responsible. Many are questioning why the process of scientifically investigating and discovering the truth is so slow, particularly given that five years have passed since the attack.
The discourse surrounding the attack has been renewed and extinguished in different cases. With several upcoming elections, people are questioning whether the memory of the Easter attack is being revived as a result of a political situation.
