Do not obstruct Easter Sunday attack investigations – Fr. Cyril Gamini

Rev. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando, who is the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Colombo, has urged everyone not to interfere with the investigations into the Easter Sunday terror attacks of 2019. Speaking at a special media briefing in Colombo today (26), he emphasized that obstructing these investigations would be a serious injustice to the victims. The coordinated bombings on Easter Sunday in 2019 killed nearly 300 people and targeted churches and hotels. Fr. Cyril described these attacks as a “barbaric attack” and a “massacre,” affecting worshippers and people from various religions and ethnic backgrounds. These attacks happened on April 21, 2019, hitting places like St. Anthony’s Shrine, St. Sebastian’s Church, and several hotels in Colombo. Fr. Gamini highlighted that finding the truth behind these events is crucial for maintaining the rule of law in Sri Lanka. He warned that not doing so could send a harmful message that those who commit serious crimes can escape justice. He stressed that there is no need to politicize these investigations, which are being carried out independently by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). It is essential to let investigators do their work without any interference, he said. Any effort to derail the investigations would be another injustice to those who lost their lives or were hurt in the bombings. Fr. Cyril Gamini Fernando asked the public and all involved to be patient and allow the investigations to continue independently, expressing hope that they would lead to meaningful outcomes. He also pointed out the importance of finding out if there was any political involvement in the attacks, who was behind them, and their motives, insisting that the complete truth must come to light.