Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, is in Sri Lanka this week—the first visit by a chief of his office in nine years. His arrival comes at a time of renewed attention to past atrocities, following the discovery of another mass grave in the country’s north, believed to contain victims of the decades-long civil war with Tamil separatists.

Mr Türk is expected to travel to Jaffna on June 25 as part of his four-day trip. The visit signals growing concern over Sri Lanka’s handling of post-war accountability. A 2024 report by his office urged the government to allocate greater financial, human, and technical resources to forensic investigations of suspected war graves “in line with international standards.”

More than 30 mass graves have been uncovered across the country since the conflict ended in 2009. While tens of thousands were killed, many more were forcibly disappeared. Critics of the government, including members of the Tamil community, argue that meaningful justice remains elusive.

UN