Sri Lankan Cardinal Again Presses for Justice
Sri Lankan Cardinal Again Presses for Justice
07/02/2022 Sri Lanka (International Christian Concern) – Cardinal Malcom Ranjith, a prominent Christian figure in Sri Lanka, took legal action on Thursday to pursue accountability for the Easter Sunday attacks of 2019. The attacks shook the nation’s Christian community three years ago, with suicide bombers killing 269 and injuring over 500 others at three churches and three hotels around the country. The Presidential Commission of Inquiry (PCoI) into the Easter Sunday tragedy has yielded various recommendations to better secure accountability and justice for victims, but these recommendations have not seen proper implementation. Cardinal Ranjith said, “The repeated pleas for accountability, justice, and the implementation of the commission recommendations from the victims, the archdiocese, and the archbishop fell on deaf ears.” Because of this, the cardinal filed a writ petition on Thursday aimed at ordering the Inspector General of Police and the Secretary to the Ministry of Public Security to implement the disregarded recommendations.
Cardinal Ranjith emphasized that the PCoI report revealed serious negligence and lapses by public officials and law enforcement personnel, even in the highest echelons of government. Authorities have not held these individuals accountable, despite years of protests and demands from Sri Lanka’s Christian community. The national effort for justice has been so stagnant that leaders like Cardinal Ranjith have sought international support and investigation to put additional pressure on the Sri Lankan government. Over the last three years, the Cardinal has petitioned the UN Human Rights council to establish its own probe into the attacks. The Cardinal even met with Pope Francis in Rome to discuss the Easter tragedy and his government’s lackluster response. We pray that this new legal effort, initiated by the Cardinal on Thursday, will yield real results, and we pray that the victims of the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks will finally receive the justice they deserve.
