EU delegation granted access to Chemmani mass grave as tally reaches 454

A delegation from the European Union is to visit the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna on Wednesday morning, after the Jaffna Magistrates Court granted permission for the inspection on Monday, in the latest instance of international attention on a site where excavations continue to unearth evidence of atrocity.

The visit comes amid sustained calls from Tamil families, human rights groups and international figures for independent international oversight of the investigation, given long-standing concerns that domestic mechanisms lack the credibility to deliver accountability. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, visited the site in 2025.

The delegation is expected at the site in the morning, where excavations are continuing under the court-authorised third phase of investigations.

On Monday, the 38th day of the third phase, investigators identified eight further sets of skeletal remains, including those of two children. Excavation teams also exhumed six previously identified sets of remains.

Work continued on the careful cleaning of a skeleton found in a seated position, uncovered in previous days. Officials said further action on the remains would be decided after consultations with the Dean of the Faculty of Hindu Studies at the University of Jaffna and expert opinion from Professor Raj Somadeva.

The remains, designated Skeleton No. 429, were first identified on Sunday with the legs folded in an upright seated position and the jawbone found fractured. Cleaning continued on Monday, after which investigators are expected to examine whether any associated artefacts or evidence are present to help determine the circumstances of the burial.

Investigators also identified a smaller skeleton close to a larger set of remains, with a further infants skeleton found beneath it.

The Jaffna Court has authorised 56 days for the third phase of excavations at the Chemmani mass grave. Across the first, second and ongoing third phases, a total of 92 days of work has now been carried out. To date, 454 skeletal remains have been found, of which 440 have been fully exhumed.