ALI SABRY
COLOMBO : As a lawyer, a member of the Muslim community, and a former Minister of Justice, I am compelled to express my deep concern over the continuing politicization and fragmentation of the investigations into the horrific Easter Sunday attacks of April 21, 2019.
That dark day marked one of the most devastating acts of terror in Sri Lanka’s history. The coordinated suicide bombings, carried out by members of the National Thowheeth Jama’ath (NTJ), targeted churches and hotels, claiming 269 innocent lives and injuring over 500. It was the first such act of terror since the end of the civil war and came as a profound shock, especially given the peaceful coexistence of Sri Lanka’s Muslim community for over a thousand years.
In the immediate aftermath, our authorities, assisted by respected international agencies such as the FBI, Scotland Yard, the Australian Federal Police acted swiftly. The NTJ network was dismantled, the suicide bombers perished in the attacks, and their close associates were identified, arrested, or charged. The immediate threat was effectively neutralized.
However, what has followed is a tragic saga of political blame games, conflicting narratives, and the rise of rival investigative factions more interested in discrediting each other than uncovering the full truth. Unfortunately, it appears that, aside from politicians trying to offload responsibility, some investigators are now engaged in an unseemly contest, determined to prove their own version of events, regardless of the evidence. In some cases, it appears investigations are guided less by facts and more by biases, grudges, or a desire for personal vindication.
Unnecessary interference and finger pointing by religious leaders and so called civil society actors and self proclaimed youtube investigative journalists have not been of any help either.
When I was serving as the Justice Minister, no matter what the Investigators were doing , as there were continuous calls for International collaboration, with the instructions of the then President, we wrote to FBI through our Ambassador in Washington seeking their support and assistance to carry out further investigations, for which they wrote a detailed email to our Ambassador on 7th April 2022 explaining their support and findings and inter alia stated as follows ,…
“In terms of our cooperation on this case, I would like to highlight that the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has worked closely with Sri Lankan law enforcement, and in the week after the attack, deployed approximately 33 personnel to Colombo to assist Sri Lanka’s Criminal Investigation Department with all aspects of their investigation. These efforts included evidence collection, witness and victim interviews, and exploitation of digital devices. In the months following the April 2019 attacks, the U.S. Ambassador and the FBI’s Legal Attaché regularly briefed the then-President, Prime Minister, and Defense Minister on the ongoing investigation. That joint work culminated in the U.S. Department of Justice charging three suspects in the United States in January 2021, as noted above.”
In response to our request for fresh or further investigations, this was their response
“
In light of that, even as we stand ready to continue providing support to your government, it would not make sense for the United States to conduct an additional investigation into the attacks.”
I have a copy of the response sent to me by our Ambassador in Washington.
If anyone want a copy of the detailed indictment filed in US court, with detailed information evidence and explanations with 72 pages , I can WhatsApp to you.
Since then , Attorney General had indicted over 30 people for the Easter Sunday massacre in a Trial at Bar. Despite it, the calls for investigations are continuing.
But justice cannot be served by those who begin their inquiries with preconceived conclusions. It must be carried out with an open mind, guided by reason, not prejudice. As the saying goes, hell hath no fury like that of a wounded, opinionated investigator bent on proving a point for his own advantage. The real tragedy would be failing to identify the actual masterminds and the deeper motivations that led to this massacre, one that could only have been conceived by megalomaniacs of epic proportions.
For the sake of our country’s future, unity, and security, such extremist ideologies and violent thought processes must be unequivocally condemned, curbed, and eradicated, never again to be allowed to rise.
The investigations must now be freed from political interference and entrusted to independent, impartial authorities. If new inquiries are deemed necessary, they must proceed transparently and objectively. If not, we must accept the conclusions reached by credible international agencies such as FBI , Scotland Yard and Australian Federal Police , and shift our focus toward healing, reconciliation, and protecting our country from future threats.
We must not forget , based on collaborative investigations carried out by the authorities along with international criminal investigations agencies, more than 30 people including Naufer are indicted at Trial at Bar and the process must begin sooner than later in a structured setting of a court system which is open transparent and visible for all.
Those who are in charge of investigations by design or default must not dishonor the memory of the victims by using their tragedy for political gain or personal vendettas. We must instead strive for truth, uphold the rule of law, and work together as one nation to ensure that such horrors are never repeated. ( The writer, a senior lawyer and President’s Counsel was also the minister of justice and minister of foreign affairs)
