Fears Grow That Soldiers Linked to Chemmani Atrocities May Flee

16-Aug-2025

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During the Chemmani mass grave hearing at the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court on August 14, President’s Counsel M.A. Sumanthiran requested the court to take steps to prevent military personnel involved in the case from fleeing abroad.

He said that in the late 1990s, the Sri Lanka Human Rights Commission appointed a four-member panel, headed by Dr. Devanesan Nesiah, to investigate disappearances in the area. Members included K.H. Camilus Fernando, Jezima Ismail, and C.M. Iqbal.

The panel investigated around 300 disappearance cases, concluding that in about 200 of them, the military was likely responsible. The report also listed the names of many involved soldiers.

Sumanthiran submitted the 210-page report to court, pointing out that most victims were from the Chemmani area and that many of them may have ended up buried at the Chemmani site.

He warned that with remains now being found and investigations intensifying, the named military officers could flee. He urged the court to act in advance to prevent this.

The Magistrate accepted the report and instructed the CID to investigate the matter.