Easter attacks verdict not the end, full truth must still be uncovered: Fr. Jude Krishantha
The Catholic Church has welcomed the court verdict against those convicted in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks, but says the judgment should not be considered the end of efforts to uncover the full circumstances behind the bombings.
Speaking to reporters, Director of Mass Communications for the Archdiocese of Colombo, Rev. Fr. Jude Krishantha Fernando, said the Church was satisfied that a verdict had been delivered after victims and their families had waited for years for justice.
He said the judgment would also send a strong message against religious extremism, stressing that religion should never be distorted to justify violence.
However, Fr. Krishantha said those convicted represented only one part of the case and called for investigations to continue into whether others were involved in facilitating the attacks or allowing them to take place.
He alleged that intelligence and security officials had sufficient information to prevent the attacks but failed to act, and called for investigators to establish whether there was any wider involvement or motive behind that failure.
Previous official inquiries have examined the handling of advanced intelligence, while the Supreme Court has also ruled on fundamental rights petitions concerning failures by senior officials.
Fr. Krishantha also called for further legal action, where supported by evidence, against individuals identified in previous investigations and commission recommendations, saying the Church would consider the justice process complete only after all those responsible for the attacks and any related failures were properly investigated.
The Church has consistently called for investigations to identify whether there were additional individuals behind the attacks and for those responsible to be prosecuted. (Newswire)
The post Easter attacks verdict not the end, full truth must still be uncovered: Fr. Jude Krishantha appeared first on Newswire.