JDS
@jdslanka.bsky.social
Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka | Sri Lankan partner of Reporters sans frontières.| www.jdslanka.org
Phase 3 | Day 40: With the 4 skeletons identified during Wednesday's (22) excavations at Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna, the total number found across all 3 phases reached 471 while visiting EU delegates met the forensic team & victim families demanding justice.|©Kumanan Kanapathipillai
Amidst heavy police presence, members of the Association of Relatives of Enforced Disappearances (ARED) handed in a memorandum outlining their demands for justice to EU delegation, who visited Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna on Wednesday (22). | 📹© Sumithi Thangarasa / JDS
As a delegation from EU states visited Chemmani massgrave in Jaffna on Wednesday (22), where Sri Lanka's largest mass burial site was found, members of the Association of Relatives of Enforced Disappearances staged a protest demanding an int'l investigation. | 📷 © Shanmugam Thavaseelan
Phase 3 | Day 39: Today (21), under the supervision of Jaffna magistrate's court, 13 more skeletons were identified during the excavations at mass grave in Chemmani, Jaffna as the total number of bodies discovered from the site reached 467. |📷 © Kumanan Kanapathipillai / JDS
Phase 3 | Day 38: With the latest identifications made on Monday (20), 8 more bodies were found at Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna, bringing the total number of human skeletons discovered from the site to 454, while 440 of them have now been fully exhumed. | 📷 © Kumanan Kanapathipillai
Sri Lanka's largest mass grave. The International Truth and Justice Project's report on Chemmani, published last week is very good and detailed. itjpsl.com/reports/chem...
JDS@jdslanka.bsky.social · 3w agoPhase 3 | Day 37: Nine more skeletons were discovered on Sunday (19) during the ongoing excavation in Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna, - the largest to be found in the island. With the latest findings, the total number of bodies found at the site reached 446. | 📷 © Kumanan Kanapathipillai / JDS
Phase 3 | Day 37: Nine more skeletons were discovered on Sunday (19) during the ongoing excavation in Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna, - the largest to be found in the island. With the latest findings, the total number of bodies found at the site reached 446. | 📷 © Kumanan Kanapathipillai / JDS
Phase 3 | Day 34, 35 & 36 While the excavation work at the Chemmani mass grave continued into Thursday (16), Friday & Saturday, 23 more bodies were identified by the foresic team, increasing the total number of skeletons discovered from the site to 437. | 📷 © Kumanan Kanapathipillai / JDS
A photo exhitibition opened to the public on Thursday (16), organised by 'Act Now' collective, highlighting involuntary disappearances, ethno-religious violence, displacement & ongoing land grabbing in the north east, will run until 20 July at JDA Perera Gallery in Colombo 7.
While visiting a photo exhibition in Colombo on Saturday (18), Sri Lanka's opposition leader Sajith Premadasa, the son of former president R. Premadasa (1989-1993), looks at photographs on display,depicting mothers of disappeared in southern Sri Lanka, during his father's tenure.
Families of the missing held a silent protest in front of Mātale magistrate's court in central Sri Lanka on Thursday (16), demanding a fresh probe into Mātale mass grave, where at least 154 human skeletons were found in November 2012. | 📹© Luxman Warnakulasuriya / JDS
Phase 3 | Day 33: As Chemmani mass grave excavation resumed on Wednesday (15) after 2 weeks break, two more skeletons were identified by the forensic team, bringing the total number of bodies recovered from the site to 414, which has become the largest mass grave found in Sri Lanka.
@peninternational.bsky.social raises concern over Sri Lanka using national security, customs & public order provisions to censor literary & journalistic works and calls on authorities to release all remaining copies of P. Theepachelvan's books. www.pen-international.org/news/sri-lan...
Phase 3 / Day 31: The total number of skeletons identified at Sri Lanka's largest mass grave in Chemmani surged to 412 on Monday (22), following the discovery of 7 more skeletal remains by the forensic team working under Prof. Raj Somadeva.| 📷 © Sumithi Thangarasa
Phase 3 / Day 27 As 14 more bodies were discovered from the Jaffna mass burial site by the forensic team led by Prof. Raj Somadeva on Wednesday (17), Chemmani-Siththupaththi has now become the LARGEST MASS GRAVE ever found in Sri Lanka, with 380 bodies. | 📷 Kumanan Kanapathipillai
Phase 3 | Day 25 The number of human skeletons identified from the Chemmani-Siththupaththi mass grave in Jaffna by the excavation team led by forensic archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva has surged to a total of 360 with the latest 5 bodies found on Monday (15). | 📷 © Kumanan Kanapathipillai
Phase 3 / Day 24: Two more skeletal remains were unearthed during the excavations in Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna on Sunday (14), bringing the total body count to 355 while 341 skeletons have now been fully exhumed. | 📷 ©Kumanan Kanapathipillai
UPDATE: Chavakachcheri Magistrate, on Friday (12), granted bail to Tamil rapper Ganeskumar Sangeethsan after police informed that Sri Lanka's Attorney General has instructed to charge him for "sedition" under section 120 of the Penal Code, instead of Prevention of Terrorism Act.
JDS@jdslanka.bsky.social · 2mo agoA young Tamil musician, Ganesh Kumar Sankeethan (24) from Udayanagar-West, Kilinochchi was ordered to be remanded for 14 days by Chavakachcheri Magistrate today, after he was arrested under PTA by Kilinochchi police on Tuesday (2) accusing him of performing a song in memory of war dead.
Phase 3 / Day 22: As another day closes in Chemmani, Jaffna, the total number of skeletons unearthed from the mass grave site stands at 341, including the two skeletal remains found on Thursday (11). | 📸 K. Kumanan
Phase 3 | Day 21: 12 more skeletons were identified during the excavations carried out at Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna on Wednesday (10), bringing the total number to 339 while 318 of those have now been fully exhumed. | 📷 © K.Kumanan
Phase 3 / Day 20: 9 more skeletons, including those of 8 children, were exhumed at Chemmani mass grave site today, bringing the total number to 327, as the excavation led by Prof. Raj Somadeva continues under the supervision of Jaffna Magistrates' Court. | 📷 K. Kumanan
JUNE 8, 2026: A total of 318 skeletons, including 16 unearthed on Monday, have been identified during the third phase of excavations at Sri Lanka's second largest mass grave in Chemmani-Siththupaththi, in Jaffna where skeletal remains of infants & children were also found. | 📷 K. Kumanan
A young Tamil musician, Ganesh Kumar Sankeethan (24) from Udayanagar-West, Kilinochchi was ordered to be remanded for 14 days by Chavakachcheri Magistrate today, after he was arrested under PTA by Kilinochchi police on Tuesday (2) accusing him of performing a song in memory of war dead.
1000s of union members representing Sri Lanka's apparel, plantation, education, health, postal, telecommunication, banking & media sectors joined a massive march against imperialist wars, exploitation & genocide as they marked the International Workers' Day in Colombo.
Dharmaratnam Sivaram aka 'Taraki', legendary Tamil journalist, military analyst & editor of 'Tamil Net', murdered 21 yrs ago, was remembered in his eastern hometown Batticaloa on Tuesday (28) by Batticaloa District Tamil Journalists Association & eastern province journalists.
🧵 1/2 Sri Lanka's Minister of Cultural Affairs Mr. Sunil Senevi: "What is on social media is shared by a politically bankrupt group...2 books were not released based on recommendations made by the the Ministry of Defence & Customs. The State Literary Panel has nothing to do with that."
'Theepachelvan is a writer as well as a teacher. While the government is officially celebrating Thaipongal and other events in Jaffna, they censor Tamil writers' freedom to express an opinion, which we vehemently condemn.' - J.Stalin Gen. Secretary, Ceylon Teachers Union
'What reason is there to detain books written by a Tamil writer, when they say there is peace in the country? The only reason is him being a Tamil; no other reason. What reconciliation can be achieved by censoring Tamil books? ' - Reputed writer Gamini Viyangoda
JDS@jdslanka.bsky.social · 4mo agoDuring a press conference held in Colombo on Wednesday (22), prominent writers, journalists & trade unionists unequivocally condemned the decision taken by Sri Lanka's Cultural Ministry & Ministry of Defence to detain books written by award winning Tamil writer P. Theepachelvan.
During a press conference held in Colombo on Wednesday (22), prominent writers, journalists & trade unionists unequivocally condemned the decision taken by Sri Lanka's Cultural Ministry & Ministry of Defence to detain books written by award winning Tamil writer P. Theepachelvan.
Not good enough. Release all his books. Sri Lanka Government censoring Tamil poet Theepachelvan
JDS@jdslanka.bsky.social · 4mo agoUPDATE: Director General of Customs has informed Tamil writer Theepachelvan, that based on recommendations made by Sri Lanka Arts Council & State Literary Sub-Panel, 2 of his books will be released while the rest will be retained in their custody under section 120 of the Penal Code.