UK JUDGE ORDERS ASYLUM CASE REHEARD THAT KILLED 269 CHRISTIANS
A Sri Lankan man questioned over the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings that killed 269 people including six Britons has won an appeal against the rejection of his asylum application, with a UK judge ordering his case be reheard.
The unnamed man, who has been granted anonymity and is referred to only as "YA," was arrested in Sri Lanka on January 5, 2022 over allegations he was involved in the Easter bombings that took place on April 21, 2019. He was released on bail after claiming he paid a substantial bribe and was subject to reporting conditions.
He left Sri Lanka on September 2, 2022 and arrived in the UK the same month, claiming asylum in October 2022. An arrest warrant was issued in Sri Lanka on September 15, 2022, after his departure.
The man told an immigration tribunal that police officers had attended his family home in Sri Lanka and that he fears persecution if he returns home. It is understood he denies the allegations against him.
His asylum claim for himself and his wife was initially rejected by the Home Office. However, Deputy Upper Tribunal Judge Claire Burns found that the original hearing had made a series of errors, including failing to note that the man had been released on bail following an arrest warrant.
The man argued that the first tier tribunal judge was biased and failed to appreciate that the arrest warrant was not issued until after he left Sri Lanka.
Judge Burns ruled
"I find there will need to be a complete rehearing wherein the judge will make findings about the credibility of his account and given the nature and extent of the fact finding, the appeal should therefore be remitted to the first tier tribunal. The judge erred in law in his analysis of the documentary evidence as set out above, and so for that reason the decision must be set aside."
Judge Burns denied that any previous judges were highly prejudiced in their approach. The facts of the case will be reheard at the first tier tribunal at a later date.
The 2019 Easter Sunday attacks targeted three churches and three luxury hotels across Sri Lanka. Eight suicide bombers carried out coordinated attacks during Easter services and at hotels in Colombo.
Among the victims were British citizens Anita Nicholson, 42, and her children Alexander, 14, and Annabel, 11, who died in an explosion at the Shangri La Hotel in Colombo. IT director Lorraine Campbell, retired firefighter Bill Harrop, and his wife Dr Sally Bradley also died in a blast at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attacks, stating that "members of the US led coalition and Christians in Sri Lanka" had been targeted. It is believed the eight suicide bombers were associated with an Islamist militant group named National Thowheeth Jama'ath.
In total, 269 people were killed and 500 injured. Victims came from the UK, Denmark, Portugal, India, Turkey, Australia, the Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland, Spain, Bangladesh, the US, and China. Some 38 foreign nationals died in the attacks.
The case comes as the United Kingdom faces record pressure on its asylum system. Government statistics show asylum applications reached a record high of more than 111,000 in the year ending June 2025, a 14 percent rise compared with the previous year.
Last week, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood announced major reforms to the asylum system including making refugee status temporary and giving ministers powers to return migrants to their home country once it is deemed safe.
THE CRUSADER'S OPINION
Two hundred sixty nine Christians murdered on Easter Sunday.
Six Britons killed including a mother and her two children.
Eight suicide bombers targeting churches during worship services.
The Islamic State claimed responsibility, stating they targeted Christians.
And a man questioned about these massacres fled to Britain and won an asylum appeal.
He was arrested in Sri Lanka in 2022.
Released on bail after allegedly paying a bribe.
Fled to the UK before an arrest warrant was issued.
And now a British judge orders his asylum case reheard because of procedural errors.
This is insane.
Britain should have deported him immediately to face trial in Sri Lanka.
Instead, the UK is considering granting asylum to a man accused of involvement in one of the worst Christian massacres in recent history.
He claims he fears persecution if returned to Sri Lanka.
Good.
If he was involved in killing 269 people, persecution is exactly what he deserves.
The UK asylum system is broken beyond repair when judges are ordering rehearings for suspected Islamic terrorists who targeted Christians on Easter Sunday.
This man should be in a Sri Lankan prison awaiting trial, not living in Britain claiming asylum with his wife.
Britain has become a sanctuary for the very people who massacre Christians.
TAKE ACTION
- Contact the UK Home Office demanding immediate deportation of the Sri Lankan man questioned over Easter bombings that killed 269 Christians. Insist Britain stop granting asylum to suspected Islamic terrorists who targeted churches during worship services.
- UK Home Office: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/home-office
- Email: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gov.uk
- Demand asylum system reform by contacting your representatives insisting countries stop accepting asylum claims from individuals accused of involvement in terrorist attacks targeting Christians. Support laws mandating automatic deportation for suspected terrorists.
- Support Sri Lankan Christian survivors of the 2019 Easter bombings through organizations providing trauma counseling, medical care, and legal assistance to families of 269 victims murdered during Easter services.
- Barnabas Fund: www.barnabasfund.org
- Release International: www.releaseinternational.org
- Pray for justice for 269 Christians massacred on Easter Sunday 2019 in Sri Lanka. Pray the UK deports this suspect to face trial rather than granting asylum, and pray for strength for survivors and families still seeking accountability six years later.
