Time for justice

Wednesday, 21 April 2021 00:00 -     - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Many are familiar with the saying ‘justice delayed is justice denied’. As Sri Lanka marks two years since the tragic Easter Sunday attacks, it is imperative that the process of obtaining justice for the victims reaches an acceptable conclusion. 

For millions of Sri Lankans, the events of Easter Sunday two years ago will be etched in their memories forever. The devastating loss of life and the impact the attacks had on thousands of people has marked the psyche of this nation and underscored the need to address uncomfortable realities. But even two years later, many members of the public wonder if anything meaningful will be achieved.  

The root causes of the attacks, the political environment that preceded them, the complicated series of post-attack developments and the steps taken to accomplish accountability have played out as a strange drama before the nation. Those who have been affected still wait for justice, and despite dwindling hope, they have no option but to turn to the Government for support. For all the visibility the issue has received, there is a sense of powerlessness felt by the affected communities because the attention has not delivered results.      

During the past 24 months there were multiple commissions which probed into the details of the attacks and their findings have been presented to the Government with proposals and recommendations. There is concern that the Government could nit-pick these and handpick what it deems to be adequate responses. Even the steps that have been taken have sparked concerns from rights watchdogs and other stakeholders, who worry that the Government is focusing only on one set of problematic organisations while glossing over the roles played by others. 

The same concerns are focused on political actors who held power under the previous administration but are now part of the Government and are therefore necessary for it to hold significant power in Parliament. The worry is that political expediency, so often the bane of progression, will undermine what should ideally be an apolitical effort to bring justice and comprehensively address concerns of extremism without worsening intercommunity relations or singling out one community. 

At the point of marking two years since the Easter attacks, it is imperative that the Government realign and recommit to its responsibilities in delivering justice so an entire community and country can find closure, heal and move forward. Sri Lanka cannot afford to simply gloss over these issues and think that economic development alone will heal the wounds of the past. In fact, history has shown that the opposite is more likely; the resurgence of unaddressed sectarian violence will drive away development and keep Sri Lanka trapped in a cycle of violence.

Given Sri Lanka’s current social, economic and political challenges, there is no time left for waiting. Sri Lankans have endured violence before, but genuine reflection addressing the complex causes of the violence, and building genuine peace, have not materialised to the extent many have hoped for. In this context providing the right atmosphere to establish justice for the victims of the Easter attacks could also be an opportunity for the Government to walk the talk on justice for other causes.

As fellow Sri Lankans, we can only hope that the grief and loss suffered by our brothers and sisters will ebb and justice will, finally, be theirs.

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