It was 8:45 am on Easter Sunday 2019 when seven simultaneous bomb blasts paralysed the island nation of Sri Lanka, painfully recalling still-fresh civil war memories of an armed conflict that ended after 26 years in 2009 with more than 100,000 casualties and the second highest number of enforced disappearances in the world. The country had already seen decades of an overarching security state, various inter-religious, intra-ethnic and inter-ethnic riots, ushering in far-reaching powers for subsequent governments that limited the space for freedom. And then came 21.04.2019.
With the 2019 Easter bombings, 253 persons lost their lives and several hundred persons were injured. The vast majority of the deceased were citizens of the island, but also tourists on their Easter holidays. Three Christian churches, in Colombo, Batticaloa and Negombo, three hotels and a small guest house were targeted. The National Tawhid Jamaat (NTJ), a little known Islamist terror organisation, is allegedly implicated in the attacks. All of the suicide bombers were Sri Lankan citizens. And those who carried out the attacks came from privileged backgrounds. Two of the suicide bombers were sons of the country’s wealthiest spice trader, both with a western education. Even one year after, it is still hard to comprehend the inner psychology for this act of horror, but the vicious environment for minorities in Sri Lanka has certainly contributed to their radicalisation. In the aftermath of the bombings, a parliamentary investigation highlighted extensive lapses of intelligence and coordination before the Easter Sunday bombings and concluded that the spy chief, Nilantha Jayawardena was primarily to blame for the failure to stop the attacks, as he had received information about possible attacks seventeen days before the bombings. The scapegoat was quickly identified.
Sri Lanka in the aftermath
The previous president Maithripala Sirisena has been subjected to virulent attacks by politicians and the public, for lacking a strong security response to the Easter bombings. Sirisena took a tougher stance and declared an emergency, which came with broad powers of arrest and detention for the security forces. Military personnel were deployed at security check points around the island and surveillance methods increased. Moreover, Muslim women following tradition became targets, as the government announced a ban on face coverings. Security reasons were given, but in the end, the government has found an opportunity to limit rights and freedoms, accelerate the militant security state, and securitise the public space.
