JAFFNA, Sri Lanka — Relatives of people who disappeared during Sri Lanka’s civil war staged a protest on Friday outside the Chemmani mass grave site, demanding an international investigation and rejecting what they described as inadequate domestic efforts to uncover the truth.
The demonstration coincided with a visit by Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara and officials from the Office on Missing Persons to the excavation site at the Siththupathi Hindu cemetery in Jaffna, where forensic teams are carrying out a third phase of excavations.
Protesters briefly blocked the A9 highway, the main road linking northern Sri Lanka to the rest of the island.
Carrying placards and chanting slogans, the demonstrators called for international oversight of the excavation process and expressed deep mistrust of Sri Lanka’s domestic accountability mechanisms.
“Why does a country without justice need a justice minister?” read one placard. Others demanded international supervision of the excavations and declared that only an international investigation could deliver justice for families who have spent decades searching for answers.
The protest comes as Chemmani has emerged as the largest known mass grave site discovered in Sri Lanka.
The Chemmani site first gained prominence in the late 1990s after allegations surfaced that civilians who disappeared during military operations in Jaffna had been secretly buried there. The latest excavations have uncovered an increasing number of human remains, prompting renewed calls from victims’ families, human rights groups, and activists for a transparent, internationally monitored investigation.
Many of the relatives gathered outside the site said they had little faith in local investigative processes, citing years of stalled inquiries and unfulfilled promises by successive governments.
The Justice Ministry has said the excavation is being conducted under judicial supervision and in accordance with established forensic procedures. Officials have maintained that the process is intended to identify the dead and determine the circumstances of their deaths.
“We want truth, accountability, and justice,” one protester said. “Without international involvement, we do not believe that will happen.”
The minister’s visit proceeded under tight security as excavation work continued under the supervision of court-appointed officials and forensic experts.
