Sri Lanka has begun trials in connection with the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings News of the Sri Lankan bombings

A Sri Lankan court has begun the first of three trials related to the bombings that killed nearly 270 people.

A Sri Lankan court has launched the first of three trials related to the bombings that killed nearly 270 people on the island in 2019, amid appeals from victims’ support groups to demand greater responsibility.

At the trial, which began on Monday, former National Police leader Pujith Jayasundara is accused of repeatedly failing to act on mental warnings about a possible terrorist attack.

A total of 855 murders and attempted murder charges were read in the back of the Jayasundara courthouse. A total of 1,215 witnesses have been listed to testify, but not all of them can be called, his lawyer said.

“Our position is that the former police chief is not guilty. He did not intentionally support or encourage the attacks and there was no gap on his part that caused the attacks, ”said lawyer Ranjith Dehiwala.

Former Secretary of Defense Fernando Hemasiri, then a senior Defense Ministry official, is facing similar charges in a trial that will begin later Monday. Neither he nor his lawyer were able to comment.

Both men are under bail.

The third trial is set to begin on Tuesday, with 24 men on trial.

Police filed more than 23,000 charges against the suspects, including conspiracy to commit murder, aiding attacks and collecting weapons and ammunition. The group also includes Mohammad Naufer, who authorities say has led the attacks and is linked to the Islamic State.

On Easter Sunday, April 21, 2019, a series of attacks targeting 26 churches and three hotels killed 267 people, including at least 45 foreigners.

The attacks, the most serious in the troubled history of Sri Lanka, injured about 500 people, most of them from the island’s Christian minority community.

On Sunday, dozens of Catholic communities staged protests and laid flowers at various events organized to remember those lost in the attacks.

Participants called on the government to help the survivors and allow the trial to proceed without political interference.

“We want real justice from this process. That’s what we ask you to give to officials. We have been waiting for a long time and we want the real culprits to be responsible for what happened, ”Eranga Gunasekera, a member of a group of victims, said at a memorial service in Colombo.