A Conflict Over Justice: Cardinal Ranjith, Ali Sabry, and the Battle for the Easter Sunday Investigation
The quest for
justice for the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people, has
become a deeply contentious issue in Sri Lanka, pitting the Catholic Church
against the political establishment. At the heart of this conflict lies a
fundamental disagreement over how the investigation should proceed and what
role international bodies like the FBI should play, represented starkly by the
positions of Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith and former Minister Ali Sabry .
On one side,
Cardinal Ranjith and the Catholic Church have been relentless in their demands
for a full and transparent investigation. They have consistently voiced their
distrust of the official narrative and have long rejected the FBI's conclusion
that local extremist leader Zahran Hashim was the sole "mastermind"
of the attack . Their stance, which has called for international
monitoring of any new probe, stems from a belief that there is a broader
conspiracy behind the tragedy that has been covered up, a suspicion that has
fueled public protests and demands for accountability .
This position has
put them in direct opposition to figures like former Foreign Minister Ali
Sabry. The recently surfaced video clip, as referenced in a Facebook reel from
STV LK, appears to be part of a broader push by Sabry to challenge the
direction of the current investigations. Sabry has publicly criticized the
renewed probe, particularly the recent arrest of former State Intelligence
Chief, Major General Suresh Sallay, as a troubling development .
In his defense of
Sallay and the intelligence establishment, Sabry has used the FBI's previous
involvement to argue against further action. He has stated that international
cooperation, including "extensive involvement of the FBI and U.S.
authorities, has already taken place," and suggested that when "even
external partners indicate that further probes may not yield meaningful new
outcomes," continuing the investigation risks becoming a partisan tool
that damages Sri Lanka’s credibility . This argument effectively uses the
FBI’s initial investigation to call for an end to the current domestic inquiry,
a move the Cardinal and his supporters view as an attempt to shield the true
culprits .
The core of the dispute
is the interpretation of the FBI's work. While the FBI did identify Zahran
Hashim as the mastermind in a 2020 affidavit, the Catholic Church has
explicitly stated it does not accept this conclusion, arguing it is
incomplete . For the Church and other critics, Sabry's reliance on this
same FBI report is a "dangerous attempt to rewrite the history of the
Easter Sunday attacks" and an effort to prevent a more comprehensive
investigation that might uncover the full scope of the conspiracy .
Who is Ali Sabry Trying to
Protect?
By
arguing against further international involvement and criticizing the current
domestic probe, Ali Sabry appears to be acting to protect a network of powerful
figures and institutions. His primary concern, voiced publicly, is for the
military and intelligence establishment. He has specifically defended former
State Intelligence Chief, Major General Suresh Sallay, after his arrest,
framing it as an attack on officers who "once placed their lives on the
line to protect the nation" . Sabry warns that turning national
security institutions into "collateral damage in political contests"
undermines the armed forces and sends a troubling signal to those tasked with
protecting the country .
More
broadly, Sabry's actions seem designed to shield the Rajapaksa family and their
inner circle. His political career is deeply intertwined with theirs; he had a
"long relationship with the Rajapaksas, particularly the president, whom
he has represented in court," and was appointed as a "trusted"
minister under Gotabaya Rajapaksa . His fierce defense of the
establishment suggests a loyalty that extends to protecting the very system
from which his own power and status are derived.
What Might He Be Trying to
Cover Up, and Why Protect the Rajapaksas?
Sabry's
arguments appear aimed at discrediting evidence that points to a broader
conspiracy and at discrediting the legitimacy of the current investigation. He
has dismissed key testimony, such as that given by Azad Maulana to the UK's
Channel 4, as "unsubstantiated" . By consistently stating that
the FBI's previous involvement was sufficient and that further probes may not
"yield meaningful new outcomes," he is attempting to shut down an
investigation that risks exposing deeper institutional failures . He
frames the current probe as a "political game" that will not allow
victims to find the truth .
His
motivation for protecting the Rajapaksas is rooted in the very nature of Sri
Lankan politics, which is heavily influenced by patronage networks where access
to power is based on personal and familial ties . Sabry's career is a
product of this system; his political survival and status are directly tied to
the Rajapaksa family's fortunes. Defending the family and its associates is,
therefore, an act of self-preservation, designed to protect his own position
within a political structure that has long been governed by loyalty and kinship
rather than strict accountability.
In essence, the conflict is clear: Cardinal
Ranjith is demanding a new, thorough, and internationally scrutinized
investigation to uncover what he believes is the full truth . Ali
Sabry is arguing that the existing international probes, particularly the
FBI's, are sufficient, and the current investigations are a politicized attack
on national security institutions . The path forward for Sri Lanka
hangs in the balance between these two conflicting visions for achieving
justice.