Nothing to Hide on Easter Sunday Attacks: PM Harin

26-Jul-2025

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"We will carry forward the investigation into the Easter Sunday attacks. We have nothing to hide. We will pursue justice for the victims with full transparency. If any officials under our government are responsible, legal action will be taken against them as well," said Prime Minister Harin Amarasuriya.

He made these remarks in Parliament on July 25, 2025, in response to a follow-up question from MP Mujibur Rahman during the Q&A session initiated by MP Saminda Wijesiri of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB).

Mujibur Rahman pointed out that both the government and opposition at the time rejected the final DNA report indicating that Zahran had died in the attack. Now, a new investigation has begun. He expressed full support for it but raised critical concerns: "At the time of the attacks, Anura Jayasekara, now Deputy Minister of Defence, was the Commander of the Eastern Province. When the explosion occurred in Sainthamaruthu, the army was the first to arrive. What happened to Zahran? Who took him? The army should know. They could not have been there without Anura Jayasekara's knowledge. Even if he didn’t know then, he surely knows now."

He further said, "Even the President at that time acknowledged a link between the former government and the attacks. Now, the investigation is led by those who were under Anura Jayasekara. How can this be a fair investigation?"

In response, PM Harin clarified that Anura Jayasekara was appointed Deputy Defence Minister only in 2024, whereas the attacks occurred in 2019. The investigations started in 2019 and could have been conducted independently back then, but they were not. That is the real issue, he said.

He emphasized, "We will proceed with the investigation. No one needs to be confused. Our Deputy Minister has already spoken about this in Parliament and given a statement to the CID. Just because previous governments failed to act doesn't mean we won’t."

Responding to another question by MP Saminda Wijesiri, the Prime Minister said that revealing the names of those who failed in their duties in the commission appointed to study the Easter attacks would affect ongoing legal proceedings. However, he confirmed that the report is available for anyone to review.

Finally, he added that the government will not hesitate to prosecute anyone involved, regardless of their current position in the government.