Sri Lanka's former police chief Pujith Jayasundara and former defence secretary Hemasiri Fernando were sentenced to death on Friday after being found guilty of failing to prevent the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings despite receiving prior intelligence warnings.
A special court convicted the two former officials on multiple charges, including criminal negligence, murder, and attempted murder, in connection with the attacks that killed 279 people and injured around 500 others.
The pair had previously been acquitted in 2022, but the Supreme Court ordered a retrial that began in March. Although Sri Lanka still has the death penalty, the country has not carried out executions for years, meaning death sentences are typically commuted to life imprisonment. The Easter Sunday attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels, making them the deadliest terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka's recent history.
Video: Reuters
