Sri Lanka’s Human Rights Commission has raised alarm over the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna, where 222 skeletons including those of children have been unearthed, urging a full criminal investigation into possible extrajudicial killings while also warning against intimidation of investigators and journalists.
The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) has concluded that the remains found in the Chemmani mass grave may belong to victims of unlawful killings. The Commission declared that the site, already designated by the courts as a crime scene, must be subject to a full criminal investigation to ensure accountability.
CID Harassment Must Stop
Releasing its first official report on the Chemmani mass grave, the HRCSL also reported harassment by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) officers targeting legal officers involved in the case.
“For example, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka has come to the attention of the learned Magistrate, members of the Jaffna Bar Association, alleging that some CID officers have been conducting unnecessary and hostile interrogations of staff of local authorities and family members of missing persons during the course of their investigations,” the 13-page report stated.
The Commission requested the Inspector General of Police to order the CID to refrain from such practices.
Fact-Finding Visit to Chemmani
The report was published one day after President Anura Kumara Dissanayake concluded his visit to the North. The HRCSL delegation visited Chemmani on August 3 and 4, confirming that by then 135 skeletons had been recovered.
On the first day of their visit, the delegation met with staff from the Office for Missing Persons (OMP), lawyers, civil society activists, and relatives of missing persons. On the second day, they visited the excavation site, meeting Jaffna Magistrate Amalawan Anandaraja, Judicial Medical Officer Sellaya Paranawan, and CID officials handling the early stages of the probe.
They also met Dr. P. A. Dinesh Konge, Head of Forensic Science at the University of Jaffna, who explained how the recovered body parts were stored. Archaeological expert Professor Raj Somadeva, who supervises the excavation and exhumation process, also briefed them.
Evidence Suggests Unlawful Burials
Based on expert input, the Commission reported that 90 percent of the skeletons were unclothed, ruling out ritual Hindu burials.
“Considering the fact that some of the body parts were very close together and shallow, and the manner in which the skeletons were found, there is a reasonable possibility that these were illegal burials following unlawful killings. Therefore, if any wrongdoing is discovered at this stage of the investigation, a criminal investigation should be conducted and its progress reported to the learned Magistrate,” the HRCSL declared.
Call for Independent Office to Investigate State Crimes
The Commission warned that CID involvement could compromise impartiality, citing disturbing reports of harassment of investigators. It called for a permanent independent office to investigate serious crimes committed by state officials.
Intimidation of Media
The HRCSL strongly criticised the questioning of journalist Kumanan Kanapathipillai by the Counter-Terrorism and Investigation Department (CTID), calling it an act of intimidation against media freedom.
“The context and timing of the summons by the Counter-Terrorism and Investigation Department (CTID) were taken into account as the journalist was documenting and reporting on the progress of the investigations into the Chemmani mass grave at the time of the summons,” the Commission noted.
History and Stakeholders
The HRCSL confirmed that both the Sri Lanka Army and Police are interested parties in the outcome of the Chemmani investigation. Lance Corporal Somaratne Rajapaksa, sentenced to death in 1988 for the rape and murder of Krishanthi Coomaraswamy, had revealed that mass graves existed in Chemmani. His testimony led to excavations in 1999, which uncovered 15 bodies showing signs of torture.
Recently, Rajapaksa and his wife accused senior army officers of involvement in the Chemmani crimes in a letter to President Dissanayake.
The HRCSL also recalled findings from the 2003 Committee on Disappearances, which investigated 327 complaints from Jaffna, confirming 281 cases linked to arrests in and around Chemmani.
Presidential Call-Ups of Armed Forces
The HRCSL report also examined monthly gazettes issued by the President, empowering the armed forces to maintain public order. It warned that military involvement in Chemmani investigations would compromise credibility and stressed the need for civilian-led accountability.
Accountability Gaps
While acknowledging the dedication of experts, the Commission emphasised that law enforcement continues to show limited capacity and willingness to ensure accountability for the deaths uncovered at Chemmani.
HRCSL Recommendations
To the Minister of Justice:
- Initiate a process to develop and officially adopt a standard operating procedure for conducting investigations into mass grave sites, in close consultation with all relevant experts, including lawyers and civil society representatives.
The procedure should also include the responsibility to issue regular official updates to keep relevant stakeholders informed of the progress of the investigation.
- Appoint a focal point within the Ministry of Justice to expedite budget requests, fund allocations and payments, and to work closely with the Office for Missing Persons and all State officials involved in the investigation into the mass graves in Chemmani, to ensure access to resources without delay.
- Take urgent steps to provide the necessary resources from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura to use Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) equipment to survey a wider area at and around the mass grave site to more comprehensively assess whether there are other human remains in the area.
- Take steps to prioritize the completion of the investigation at Chemmani in the acquisition and allocation of key human resources, such as archaeological research teams. Establish a team of archaeological experts who can excavate and assist with (burial) excavations at several mass graves, as needed.
- Obtain relevant expertise and technical facilities, including from abroad, for the reliable and independent analysis of DNA samples obtained from the human remains found at the mass grave at Chemmani.
- Take steps to establish a ‘DNA bank’ where DNA samples from family members of missing persons can be voluntarily collected and safely stored for future comparison purposes.
- Obtain relevant expertise and technical facilities from abroad, in particular to use the 14C carbon dating method, for the reliable and independent dating of human remains found in the mass grave at Chemmani.
- Take steps to implement the above recommendations in all other investigations into mass graves in Sri Lanka.
- If the current learned Magistrate is promoted, ensure that his successor receives all necessary assistance in relation to the current investigation into the mass grave at Chemmani.
- Take steps to establish a permanent, independent “Office for the Investigation and Prosecution of Serious Crimes Committed by State Officials” with broad powers to investigate and prosecute incidents of enforced disappearances and unlawful killings, including those allegedly committed by members of the security forces or law enforcement authorities, and to prosecute perpetrators. The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka is prepared to submit a detailed concept paper on the nature and functions of the proposed new office.
To the Inspector General of Police:
- Issue instructions to the Criminal Investigation Department to refrain from intimidation of any state official or family members of missing persons during any ongoing investigation, including by refraining from irrelevant and adversarial questioning.
- a. Issue instructions to the Counter Terrorism Investigation Division to act in accordance with the RTM 101/CRTM 61 circular dated 2 July 2025 issued by the Inspector General of Police when conducting investigations (i.e. to clearly inform the person why he is being summoned to give a statement), and
b. Issue instructions to the Counter Terrorism Investigation Division to refrain from abusing investigative powers to summon journalists covering the investigation into the mass grave at Chemmani, except in clear cases where there is reasonable suspicion of specific wrongdoing.
To the Minister of Defence and the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army:
- Issue clear instructions to Sri Lanka Army officers to refrain from engaging in any way in the investigations into the mass grave at Chemmani, including contacting any government official, civil society representative, or family member of a missing person.
To the Minister of Higher Education:
- Take steps to review the current training requirements for medical students specializing in forensic anthropology. Also consider limiting the period of overseas training in this subject to one year with state funding.
- Develop a plan to encourage and develop local expertise in forensic archaeology through the university system.
To the Minister of Finance:
- Consider directing the Department of Inland Revenue to issue a VAT exemption notice to Sri Lanka Customs for the release of essential laboratory equipment donated to the University of Jaffna for the establishment of a Clinical Genetics Unit.
SOURCE :- BBC SINHALA
