The mass graves scattered across Sri Lanka’s Northern and Eastern Provinces are not merely archaeological sites. For many Tamil families, they are potential crime scenes that bear witness to decades of enforced disappearances and alleged atrocity crimes committed during and after the armed conflict.
Since excavation work resumed in February 2025 at the Chemmani mass grave site in Jaffna, more than 470 human skeletons have reportedly been uncovered, with hundreds of remains exhumed under judicial supervision. Preliminary forensic findings have indicated that some of the recovered remains belong to children, while personal belongings recovered at the site, including school bags, children’s toys, baby bottles, clothing and jewellery, suggest that civilians may be among the victims.
Families of the disappeared and Tamil civil society organisations argue that these discoveries reinforce long-standing calls for an independent international investigation. They have repeatedly criticised the Sri Lankan government’s refusal to permit international forensic experts, internationally supervised DNA testing, and investigative mechanisms that they believe would command the confidence of victims’ families.
Against this backdrop, a high-level European Union delegation led by EU Ambassador to Sri Lanka Carmen Moreno, accompanied by the ambassadors of Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, visited the Chemmani excavation site following authorisation from the Jaffna Magistrate’s Court. The delegation met with the presiding magistrate, the Judicial Medical Officer and legal representatives involved in the excavation.
Coinciding with the visit, the Association of Relatives of the Enforced Disappeared (North-East Provinces), the Jaffna University Students’ Union, Tamil political representatives and members of the public organised a demonstration along the Kandy-Jaffna Road.
The protesters called for all mass graves discovered in Sri Lanka, including Chemmani, to be investigated through an independent international judicial mechanism rather than domestic institutions. They demanded truth, justice, accountability and guarantees of non-recurrence for families of the disappeared, while expressing their continued rejection of Sri Lanka’s existing domestic accountability mechanisms.
Despite reports of heavy police and intelligence surveillance at the protest, representatives led by Kanakaranjini, President of the Association of Relatives of the Enforced Disappeared (North-East Provinces), met the EU delegation and submitted a 12-page petition outlining the families’ demands.
According to participants, one mother told the delegation: “The memorandum we handed over is not merely a piece of paper; we have placed our very lives in your hands.”
Delegation members reportedly responded that they recognised the significance of the submission but could not offer assurances. They stated that they would communicate the concerns of the affected families to the United Nations and governments committed to promoting human rights.
Many Tamil families remain deeply sceptical of domestic accountability initiatives. Since the end of the armed conflict in 2009, hundreds of parents searching for their disappeared relatives have died without receiving answers regarding the fate of their loved ones.
Institutions established by successive Sri Lankan governments, including the Office on Missing Persons and the Office for Reparations, have failed to gain the confidence of many victims’ families, who argue that these bodies have delivered neither truth nor accountability.
Consequently, many Tamil organisations continue to call for investigations into Chemmani and other mass graves through the International Criminal Court or another independent international investigative mechanism. They have also proposed establishing an internationally supervised DNA database in an EU member state, enabling comparisons with samples provided by relatives in Sri Lanka and the Tamil diaspora, while urging the preservation of mass grave sites through satellite imagery and advanced mapping technologies.
For many activists, however, the European Union’s visit raises difficult questions. Rather than signalling a shift towards stronger international accountability, they fear it risks becoming another diplomatic engagement that acknowledges suffering without producing meaningful action.
Critics argue that the visit should also be viewed in the wider context of the European Union’s relationship with Sri Lanka, including the continuation of GSP+ trade preferences despite continuing concerns raised by international human rights organisations regarding accountability and the rule of law.
The delegation’s reported engagement with officials from the Office on Missing Persons and other state institutions following the Chemmani visit has reinforced concerns among some Tamil organisations that international actors continue to prioritise domestic mechanisms that many affected communities no longer regard as credible.
At the same time, the response of Tamil political leadership has also come under scrutiny. Despite widespread public mobilisation across the North and East, critics argue that Tamil political parties failed to present a unified political strategy capable of maximising international attention during the delegation’s visit. This lack of coordinated engagement, they contend, allowed international representatives to limit their response without facing sustained political pressure.
Under international criminal law, mass graves may constitute important evidence in investigations into war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide, depending on the evidence established through independent judicial processes. For many Tamil families, the remains unearthed at Chemmani represent not only forensic evidence but also a powerful reminder of unresolved questions surrounding enforced disappearances and wartime abuses.
The European Union delegation’s statement that it could not provide assurances has therefore been interpreted by many affected families as reflecting the limitations of international diplomacy in the absence of stronger political action.
Many campaigners argue that meaningful justice will require more than symbolic visits and expressions of concern. They call for sustained economic and diplomatic pressure on Sri Lanka, the establishment of an independent international investigative mechanism, and stronger engagement by the United Nations Human Rights Council through appropriate accountability measures and international oversight.
For the families of the disappeared, the struggle is not solely about compensation or humanitarian assistance. It is about establishing the truth, securing accountability where crimes can be proven, preserving historical memory and restoring the dignity of those who remain missing. Whether the international community is prepared to move beyond expressions of concern towards meaningful accountability remains one of the defining questions facing victims and their families.
