News and events

Kokkuthoduvai mass grave Identification of remains commences

2024-08-09

Following the 3rd stage of the excavation process in July the identification of the exhumed remains was discussed when the case was heard on August 8th before the Magistrate Dharmalingam Piratheepan at the Magistrates Court.

Judicial Medical Officer JMO Kanagasabapathy Vasudeva said the process was to find out the sex age height and details of injury among others in the investigation.

Twentyfive types of skeletal remains from the excavation have been transferred to the Forensic Medicine Department at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. Analysis of these remains was conducted over two days starting on August 2 2024. Mullaitivu JMO Vasudeva said the comprehensive report is expected by early next year.

In a report submitted to the court earlier Prof. Raj Somadeva the lead forensic archaeologist had concluded that the skeletons exhumed from the mass grave are of the female cadres of the LTTE who have been unceremoniously buried between 199496. His interim report on the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave to the court was submitted in February 2024.

Details about the report on the background of the land and observations were handed over to the court by the local government official Grama Niladhari of that area said V.S. Niranchan counsel retained by CHRD to represent the interest of victim families and observe the exhumation.

He added As directed by the court a report was submitted by the Grama Niladhari of Kokkuthoduvai today. At the same time the final report by Professor Raj Somadeva who was involved in the excavation is expected within a month. JMO Vasudeva has informed the court that investigations into the skeletal remains are happening at the forensic department in the Jaffna Teaching Hospital. The Office for the Missing Persons OMP told the court their position about handing over the land to the public would be made during the next hearing of the case.

Earlier the Association for the Relatives of the Enforced Disappearances ARED submitted sworn affidavits to court to find out whether the exhumed skeletons from the mass grave belonged to their relatives.

The honorable magistrate informed that many sworn affidavits have been filed to find out the disappeared at this point of time. So in future if there is a need to do a DNA test we have made arrangements for the collection of due samples from every skeleton exhumed during the third phase.During the hearing V.S.Niranchan attorneyatlaw appearing on behalf of the families of the disappeared requested that the number tags recovered during the mass grave excavation be made public and published in newspapers. The court has ordered that this request be reviewed and appropriate action taken.

We have made some submissions on behalf of the missing person. We also demanded the notes taken by the SOCO Scenes of the Crimes Office police to be submitted to the Court. Also we insisted on establishing the chain of custody. We also requested the registrar of the court to publish the pictures of the number tags and said it would be easy to identify the period of burial since the families of the LTTE cadres would know the details.

Almost 52 skeletal remains fragments of artillery and uniforms of LTTE carders have been recovered 03 phases of excavation process which took place over a year.

It is important to note that when the case was taken up on August 8th at the Mullaitivu Magistrate Court where the members of the families of disappeared and relevant authorities were present the court complex was filled with intelligence officers.

The case regarding the Kokkuthoduvai mass grave will be taken up for hearing on the 27th of November this year.