In a significant development related to the Chemmani mass graves case in Jaffna, the wife of Lance Corporal Somaratna Rajapakse—who was convicted as the main accused in the Krishanti Kumaraswamy rape and murder case—has written to President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, expressing her husband’s willingness to testify if an international investigation is launched, Virakesari newspaper exclusively reported on Sunday (3).

In her letter, S.C. Wijewikrama stated that her husband has no involvement in the rape and murder of Krishanti Kumaraswamy and her family. She claimed that the orders to bury the bodies at the Chemmani checkpoint came from senior military officers, particularly Captain Lalith Hewage. She insists her husband only carried out those orders and was wrongfully convicted.

She further alleges that successive governments have protected high-ranking military officials while punishing lower-level soldiers to create a false image of accountability before the international community.

Wijewikrama claims that over 300 individuals suspected of having links with the LTTE were detained, tortured, and killed over time, and their bodies were secretly buried in the Chemmani area, often at night. The only reason Krishanti Kumaraswamy’s case came to light, she says, is because her family was related to Kumar Rupasinghe, a known international human rights activist and brother-in-law of then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga.

In her detailed account, she describes how suspected individuals were identified and arrested at the Chemmani checkpoint, taken to the 7th Battalion military base, tortured, and later buried near the checkpoint by her husband and other soldiers, allegedly under direct orders from higher-ranking officers.

She also claimed that her husband’s conviction was based solely on his disclosure of the location of the graves and not on any direct involvement in the murders. She alleges that Captain Hewage and other officers were briefly arrested in 1999 after her husband gave testimony, but were later released on bail, and no further legal proceedings followed.

Wijewikrama mentioned that her husband shared these details with lawyer Kumar Ponnambalam, who was later assassinated. She believes political pressure led to the rejection of their appeal in the Supreme Court and insists that the real perpetrators were never held accountable.

She expressed her frustration that despite sending appeals to every President since 1998, no relief has been provided, while several LTTE suspects with far more serious charges have been released in recent years.

Calling for justice, Wijewikrama urged President Dissanayake to appoint a presidential commission to investigate the Chemmani mass graves and the associated crimes. She reiterated that her husband is willing to testify and expose senior officers involved in war-time atrocities committed in Jaffna.

She concluded by stating that international complaint proceedings would soon be filed with the United Nations Human Rights Council and expressed hope that her husband and the other convicted soldiers would finally receive justice after 29 years of imprisonment. (Courtesy: Virakesari. This news is a translation of the original article, and all credit goes to the newspaper’s editorial team and the reporter.)