British Tamil Forum Urges International Oversight in Mass Grave Investigations
02-Aug-2025.
The British Tamil Forum (BTF) has called for the establishment of an internationally mandated mechanism to responsibly handle both confirmed and suspected mass graves in locations such as Chemmani, Kokkuthoduvai, and Mannar. It has urged that international forensic and investigative experts be immediately involved in the ongoing exhumation of the Chemmani mass grave.
In a statement released regarding the Chemmani Sidhupathi excavation, the BTF pointed out that Sri Lanka remains one of the countries with the highest number of unresolved cases of enforced disappearances.
The recently uncovered Chemmani grave is a stark reminder of the continuing human rights crisis in the country, as highlighted by the International Independent Group of Eminent Persons (IIGEP).
Although 15 human skeletons were unearthed in Chemmani in 1999, the investigation was abruptly halted the same year without providing a credible explanation.
Furthermore, none of those responsible—especially those in command positions—have been held accountable for the torture, sexual violence, extrajudicial killings, and disappearances associated with the site. Moreover, there has been no progress in uncovering the fate of the 628 individuals reported missing in Jaffna district between 1996 and 1998 when the region was under military control.
The IIGEP emphasized the urgent need for international oversight in the Chemmani excavations, noting that past investigations into mass graves, including those in Mannar, have failed to establish truth or deliver justice.
Despite Sri Lanka being a party to both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance, it has consistently failed to fulfill its obligations under these treaties.
In this context, investigations must go beyond merely identifying human remains and instead apply international law to ensure accountability. All parties responsible for these crimes must be identified, the rights of victims safeguarded, and the identified grave sites preserved in line with international human rights norms.
Given the prevailing culture of impunity in Sri Lanka, the continued denial of crimes, and the refusal to cooperate with international judicial mechanisms, the BTF insists on immediate steps: establishing an internationally mandated mechanism for handling mass graves, involving international forensic and investigative experts in excavation efforts, and employing scientific methods such as forensic anthropology and DNA testing to preserve and study the remains.
Such actions by the international community would send a strong message that those responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide—whether in Sri Lanka or elsewhere—will not be shielded from accountability.
