Chemmani mass graves

Chemmani mass graves refers to the mass graves in Chemmani in northern Sri Lanka. They first received attention following the allegation of their existence by a Sri Lankan soldier, Somaratne Rajapakse, in 1998 who was on trial for the rape and murder of Tamil schoolgirl Krishanthi Kumaraswamy. He claimed that hundreds of people who disappeared from the Jaffna peninsula after it was retaken by the government forces from the LTTE rebels in 1995 and 1996 were killed and buried in mass graves near the village of Chemmani. He further claimed he knew where 300 to 400 bodies were buried.

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 uncovered 19 human skeletons including those of 3 babies from the burial grounds. Subsequent excavations led to the discovery of more than 166 skeletons (including children) in total by August 29.