A delegation from the European Union visiting Jaffna inspected the ongoing excavations at the Chemmani–Siththuppaththi mass grave on July 22 and met with families of the forcibly disappeared and representatives of civil society organisations who were holding a peaceful protest near the site.
The delegation held discussions with the affected families, who shared their concerns and handed over a memorandum outlining their demands.
The delegation included EU Ambassador Carmen Moreno, German Ambassador Dr. Felix Neumann, French Ambassador Rémy Lambert, Italian Ambassador Damiano Francovik, Netherlands Ambassador Wiebe de Boer, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation Kaliyaa Akisheva, and Head of the Cooperation Section Dr. Johan Hesse.
They visited the Chemmani mass grave site to observe the ongoing excavation work.
During the first excavation at the Chemmani mass grave in 1999, international observers were invited to ensure transparency. Representatives of the European Union, Amnesty International, and the International Commission of Jurists visited the site and directly monitored the excavation process.
In 2025, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk also visited the site. The latest visit by the European Union delegation marks another significant instance of international observation of the ongoing excavations and provided an opportunity for direct engagement with the affected families and the wider community.
