News and events

From Chemmani to Batticaloa: A widening trail of mass graves and demands for justice

2025-09-18

As excavations continue at the ChemmaniSindhubathi mass grave in Jaffna, where 240 skeletal remains have now been identified, pressure is mounting on Sri Lankan authorities to address other suspected mass burial sites across the North and East. These developments are reinforcing longstanding demands for international justice, accountability, and credible forensic oversight.

In Batticaloa, preparations are underway to begin formal excavations at a suspected mass grave in Kurukkalmadam, following a court order issued in August 2025 under Article 12d of the Office on Missing Persons OMP Act. An investigative team, including Judicial Medical Officers, archaeologists, Scene of Crime Officers, lawyers, and OMP officials, visited the site in early September. A detailed plan and budget were submitted to the court, and formal excavations are expected to commence shortly. Already, 26 families have submitted affidavits about relatives believed to be buried there, and 66 statements were recorded during a special OMP sitting in Batticaloa.

In Mannar, concerns are resurfacing over two previously identified mass grave sites the Sathosa premises and Thiruketheeswaram. While both locations were subject to partial exhumations in past years, families and legal representatives have raised alarms over the lack of transparency and the absence of forensic continuity. Recent calls have intensified for a renewed investigation into the Sathosa site, where nearly 300 bone fragments and personal effects were recovered before the excavations were halted without conclusion. Similarly, no official report has been published on Thiruketheeswaram despite preliminary surveys.

These cases are unfolding against the backdrop of escalating international scrutiny. In early September, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission HRCSL issued a stark warning on the Chemmani mass grave, stating there is a reasonable likelihood that the site contains victims of extrajudicial killings. Following a factfinding visit to the site, HRCSL highlighted major deficiencies in Sri Lankas forensic capacity including the lack of DNA analysis facilities and trained forensic anthropologists. It called for the establishment of an independent Office for the Investigation and Prosecution of Serious Crimes by State Officials, international expertise in carbon dating and forensic science, and an end to police intimidation of journalists and victims families.

HRCSL also emphasized the urgent need for a national DNA bank to help identify remains, and called for VAT exemptions on donated forensic equipment for the University of Jaffna to support capacity building.

In parallel, the United States Congress has joined the growing chorus of concern. Representatives Raja Krishnamoorthi, Deborah Ross, and Summer Lee, alongside the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, issued public statements urging an independent international investigation into Chemmani. Citing the discovery of baby bottles, schoolbags, and childrens clothes among the 240 skeletal remains, Congressman Krishnamoorthi stated that justice for the victims and the disappeared demands real accountability. Congresswoman Ross reiterated her support for Tamil calls for justice, while Congresswoman Lee noted the presence of children among the dead as a chilling testament to Sri Lankas terrible atrocities against Tamils.

This month also marked the 29th anniversary of the murder of Krishanthi Kumaraswamy, the Tamil schoolgirl whose rape and killing by Sri Lankan soldiers in 1996 led to the original discovery of the Chemmani graves. Krishanthis mother, brother, and a family friend were also murdered when they went searching for her. The soldier convicted in her case, Corporal Somaratne Rajapakse, later revealed that 300400 bodies had been buried in Chemmania claim initially dismissed but now vindicated by the recent mass discoveries.The intensification of mass grave investigations has catalyzed new demands from Tamil civil society for Sri Lanka to be referred to the International Criminal Court ICC. Rights organizations stress that domestic mechanisms such as the OMP have consistently failed to deliver truth or justice. A signature campaign launched in Jaffna this month reflects widespread calls for international legal intervention, particularly as evidence continues to emerge from both Chemmani and other grave sites across the North and East.