The Vatican identified 167 people who died in Easter attacks in 2019 in Sri Lanka as “heroes of faith.”
The country's Cardinal, Malcolm Ranjit, made an announcement of an event to mark the sixth anniversary of suicide attacks aimed at Catholic churches and five star hotels during the Easter Sunday Liturgy, killing 269 people.
Recognized by the Vatican were Catholic faithful, present in the liturgy in the churches that were attacked.
The attacks have shook the country that has not observed such levels of violence since the end of the Civil War in 2009. However, since then, investigations into attacks have been controversial.
Muslim extremists claimed the attacks, but there is public criticism by the victims of the victims and the Christian community of the island's minority, which accuses the government of dragging its legs for taking action against the suspects in the attacks.
Anger has increased with the emergence of information that intelligence warnings have not been operated by security or government leaders. Since then, the country's Supreme Court directed President Maitripala Sirisena to pay compensation to the victims of the attacks on “ignoring intelligence,” which could prevent attacks.
A trial was opened against 25 people accused of controlling the attacks in 2021. However, with 23,000 charges against men, lawyers involved in the case warn that the pure number of charges and the stunning list of witnesses can mean that the process has been dragged for years.
The Catholic community, led by Cardinal Ranjit, has repeatedly claimed that the government at the time covered the investigations “to protect the brain behind the attacks”.
A 2023 investigation from Channel 4, which raised questions about the government, the military and the group accused of attacks also caused public anger. He claims that attacks were allowed to happen for political power.
The presidential election held shortly after the attacks saw Getabaya Rajapaxa move to power after campaigning on a national security platform.
He made a statement in parliament, denying all the accusations raised in the documentary.
The question was won by a new currency when Sri Lanka elected a new president and parliament in 2024. The newly elected government claims that attacks were a conspiracy by a “certain group” to capture political power at that time.
They have also opened the attack investigations as a report by the President's Investigation Commission has been officially handed over to the country's central investigative agency for additional investigation.
“As a government, we confirm our commitment to ensure that justice has been serviced. The constant efforts to investigate attacks and discover all truths without obstacle or delay remain a top priority. Accountability, transparency and true justice are essential for the worship of the victims and the recovery of the public” note the anniversary.