Chemmani mass graves investigation

In 1998, allegations of mass graves at Chemmani were made by a Sri Lankan soldier on trial for rape and murder. He claimed hundreds of people who disappeared from the Jaffna peninsula after it was retaken by Government troops from the LTTE in 1995 and 1996 were killed and buried in mass graves near the village of Chemmani. There are reports about 300 to 400 bodies being buried there.

Internationally observed excavations in 1999 found 15 bodies, two of which were identified as men who had disappeared in 1996. The findings led to charges against seven military personnel. Seven years later, the investigation remained open, but no further bodies have been found at Chemanni.

In June 2025, excavation work at the Chemmani-Sindubathi burial site in Jaffna’s Nallur division has led to the recovery of human remains believed to belong to an infant under the age of one, fuelling calls for international oversight into excavating mass graves on the island. Court-ordered excavation efforts, have so far uncovered 19 human skeletons including those of 3 babies from the burial grounds.