Families of the forcibly disappeared to stage protests in the North and East on November 16
25-Oct-2026.
Representatives of the Association of Relatives of the Enforced Disappeared have stated that they completely reject the report submitted by Professor of Archaeology Raj Somadeva concerning the Chemmani mass grave and insist that an international investigation be conducted into the site.
They announced that protests would be held across the Northern and Eastern Provinces on November 16 to reiterate these demands.
They made these remarks at a media briefing held at the Jaffna Press Club.
Speaking further, the representatives stated:
During 110 days of excavation at the Chemmani mass grave, 583 human skeletal remains were recovered. In this context, Professor Raj Somadeva has submitted an interim report to the court.
The report was submitted without conducting any investigations, DNA tests or forensic archaeological examinations. It does not even identify the site as a mass grave.
We completely reject this report. The Chemmani mass grave stands as a major source of evidence of genocide.
In the past, mass grave sites such as those at Kokuthoduvai and the Sathosa premises have also been closed, with the same professor involved in these matters.
We have therefore consistently maintained that the international community must intervene in the excavation of mass graves and that international experts must be brought in. International forensic specialists must be brought to Sri Lanka to conduct DNA tests as part of efforts to secure international justice.
We have also consistently insisted that the DNA samples of the relatives of the forcibly disappeared must be preserved under international supervision.
To reiterate these demands, we will hold a protest on November 16 at 2.00 p.m., calling for an international investigation into the Chemmani mass grave. We demand that justice be delivered to us through an international investigation.
We wish to appeal to everyone to join us in securing international justice for this mass grave, which stands as major evidence of genocide.
We will continue our struggle over the Chemmani mass grave until international justice is secured. We therefore call upon everyone to extend their support to this cause, the representatives said.
Editorial note: The translations preserve the claims and allegations made by the respective speakers and organisations; they should not be read as independent verification of those claims. The original reports contain apparent chronological inconsistencies, particularly in Report 10-26-03, which refers to 1990, 37 years of displacement and 17 years since the end of the war. These details have been retained rather than silently corrected.
