Sri Lanka Begins Trials For 2019 Easter Attack That Left 270 People Dead
NDTV
A total of 855 charges of murder and attempted murder were read out in the Sri Lankan court, while a total of 1,215 witnesses have been listed to give evidence in the case.
A Sri Lankan court on Monday began the first of three trials connected to bombings that killed nearly 270 people on the island in 2019, amidst appeals for greater accountability from victim support groups.
In this trial, former national police chief Pujith Jayasundara is charged with failing to act on repeated intelligence warnings of a possible terror attack.
A total of 855 charges of murder and attempted murder were read out as Jayasundara stood in the dock at the back of the courtroom. A total of 1,215 witnesses have been listed to give evidence but not all may be called, his lawyer said.
"Our position is the former police chief is not guilty. He did not intentionally aid or abet the attacks and there was no omission on his part that caused the attacks," attorney Ranjith Dehiwala told Reuters.
