MinorMatters is deeply saddened by the Easter Sunday attacks which took place targeting Christian churches and leading hotels. According to reports, a series of explosions at the St. Anthony’s Church in Kochchikade, St. Sebastian Church in Katana, Zion Church in Batticaloa, the Cinnamon Grand, Kingsbury, and Shangri-La hotels in Colombo left over 180 dead and many others injured. It is also reported that explosions in the Dehiwela and Dematagoda areas killed five people, including three police officers.

 

The attacks on the three churches come in the wake of 40 reported incidents of discrimination, violence, and intimidation targeting Sri Lanka’s Christian community in 2019 and 32 incidents of religious freedom violations against the Muslim community in 2018.

 

MinorMatters calls on the general public to remain calm, exercise caution and refrain from circulating rumours during this time of crisis. 

 

We also call upon the government to:

 

(1) take all steps necessary to investigate the incidents;

(2) identify the perpetrators of these attacks; and

(3) ensure public safety and the security of all religious places of worship in the country.

 

In this time of mourning and sadness, let us as Sri Lankans unite in solidarity with the victims and extend our fullest support toward law enforcement agencies investigating the attacks.



ENDS.


MinorMatters is a public movement, dedicated to protecting the rights and liberties of religious minority groups in Sri Lanka. We seek to raise awareness on issues surrounding religious freedom, and to support and empower efforts to advance justice and national coexistence.

Comment Here

Guidelines to be Followed

#MinorMatters welcomes blog posts and articles that are original and thought provoking, written in a tone that is clear, respectful and engaging. All contributions will be curated prior to publication and contributors will be expected to adhere to the following guidelines as minimum standards for submission.

Accuracy

Only present as fact and/or information content that can be independently verified or content that is appropriately sourced from a reputed third party.

Fairness and thoroughness

Acknowledge that there may be multiple sides to any given issue and present your readers with information that is complete, comprehensive and contextual.

Privacy

We will not publish content that infringes a group or individual’s right to privacy, except in exceptional circumstances where there is a clear and valid public interest in doing so.

Transparency and accountability

Disclose your sources, deal openly with your readers and be accountable for what you submit.

Language

Be considerate of your readers. Do not use language that is obscene or explicit or racist. Do not employ threats, personal attacks or insults.

Disclaimer: the views and opinions expressed in each blog post belong solely to theirauthor and do not necessarily reflect the policies or position of #MinorMatters. Comments on the blog are the sole responsibility of their writers. #MinorMatters reserves the right to withhold publication of blog posts and comments that do not meet the website’s standards and requirements.