The case for a national DNA bank

Interview
By Editor_1
Relatives of people who disappeared during or after the civil war protest in Jaffna, Sri Lanka, November 15, 2013 - Doreen Fiedler/picture-alliance/dpa/AP/File

By Groundviews

COLOMBO – Sri Lanka has the world’s second-highest number of cases registered with the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Since the 1980s, an estimated 60,000 to 100,000 people from all ethnic and religious communities have disappeared. Many victims are believed to have been abducted, tortured and killed by government security forces, including units operating under the country’s political and military leaders, according to Human Rights Watch.

For many decades, families of the forcibly disappeared have been engaged in the seemingly hopeless task of finding out what happened to their relatives. Successive governments have promised much but delivered little. Those searching for the disappeared are shunted from pillar to post, visiting military camps and police stations while giving testimonies at numerous commissions of inquiry and suffering humiliation and threats as they continue their search.

Former Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe dismissed the disappeared as being “probably dead” while former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said, “I can’t bring back the dead”.

During the long years of searching, several mothers, fathers and other family members have died. The younger generation does not have the same zeal and determination to find the truth and bring the perpetrators to justice, giving rise to the belief the authorities are playing a waiting game, hoping the problem will go away. But as the mothers of Plaza de Mayo in Argentina have shown after nearly 50 years of weekly vigils, this is not a realistic option.

So where are the many thousands of the missing? The answer could lie in the numerous mass graves dotted across the country that hold the remains of not just the casualties of the civil war but also those who disappeared during the two Janathan Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) uprisings in 1971 and from 1988 to 1989.

There are tens of thousands of bodies lying undiscovered in the mass graves. Over the last 30 years, around 32 mass graves have been identified, and 20 have been partially exhumed, but hardly any families have had the remains of their loved ones returned. The graves are unmarked and unprotected, and in some cases, new structures have been built over or around them.

Sri Lanka lacks the knowledge of forensic science and the resources to pursue detailed analyses of what lies in these mass graves. Some sites themselves are inaccessible, being inside military bases. DNA has to be matched to surviving family members, but some may not be still looking. The problems are numerous and seemingly insurmountable.

The Sri Lanka Campaign for Truth and Justice has released a proposal for an independent, victim-centred national DNA bank enabling scientific identification of the disappeared through global expertise, legal safeguards, community trust and alignment with international human rights standards.

The proposal sets out the reasons for having an independent DNA bank; international models and lessons for Sri Lanka; the proposed data bank in terms of independence, legal framework and reforms; international and domestic collaborations; and implementation.

The Sri Lanka Campaign answered questions from Groundviews about the proposal.

Question: Why is a national DNA bank necessary?

Answer: A national DNA Bank is necessary because Sri Lanka has uncovered mass graves for years without being able to consistently identify and return remains to families. Exhumations alone cannot provide answers unless there is a centralized system capable of matching recovered remains with relatives. Our concept paper argues that without a secure, independent DNA database, investigations remain fragmented and inconclusive. A DNA bank would create a permanent scientific mechanism to establish identities, allow remains to be returned to the families, preserve evidence to international standards and bring about some level of closure for the families who have waited decades.

Q: How will it be funded?

A: The project is designed to be funded independently, primarily through international donors and partnerships rather than the Sri Lankan state. Our proposal outlines a legally protected structure able to receive and manage donor funds autonomously, reducing political interference. It also anticipates using established international laboratories and forensic institutions to lower costs and avoid duplicating expensive infrastructure, particularly in the early phases.

Q: Do families of those forcibly disappeared support this project? Do they have confidence in it?

A: We are proposing this initiative in part because some families themselves have asked for it. Over the years, a number of relatives of the disappeared have called specifically for credible, independent DNA testing as a way to finally obtain concrete answers. This proposal is a direct response to those calls and was recently discussed with a group of mothers of the disappeared, who expressed a keen interest. At the same time, we recognize that trust has been deeply damaged by past failures. Not all families will immediately feel confident participating, and that is understandable. The model is therefore built around independence, voluntary informed consent and family oversight precisely to rebuild that trust. We hope that as awareness grows, safeguards are demonstrated in practice and early results are delivered transparently, more families will feel able to take part. Participation must be voluntary, but it should also be meaningfully possible for those who want answers.

Q: Given the large numbers of bodies in mass graves and new ones being uncovered, some even going back to the 1970s, is this a feasible or practical project? 

A: Although the number of mass graves and the passage of time make the task complex, international experience demonstrates that identification decades later is possible. Our concept paper draws on examples from Bosnia and Latin America, where thousands of victims were identified many years after the conflict through systematic DNA matching. The proposal adopts a phased approach, beginning with family DNA collection and expanding to targeted exhumations, making the process manageable and scalable over time.

Q: How will the logistics work with matching the DNA samples with families?

A: Logistically, families, including those from diaspora groups, would voluntarily provide DNA samples at local collection centres or through mobile units. Those samples would be coded, encrypted and stored in a secure database. When remains are exhumed, DNA profiles extracted from them would be matched against the family database using specialist software and laboratory analysis, with additional forensic checks where required. Confirmed identifications would then be communicated through trained liaison officers before remains are formally returned.

Q: Sri Lanka lacks the expertise and technology to deal with the mass graves that are being uncovered now. How will the handful of forensic scientists be able to do this?

A: Sri Lanka currently has limited forensic capacity to handle complex mass grave investigations at scale. Our proposal addresses this directly by recommending strong partnerships with international forensic bodies, specialist laboratories abroad and experienced NGOs. International experts could support exhumations in the early stages, provide training and ensure international standards are followed while further building domestic capacity rather than relying solely on the country’s small number of forensic scientists.

Q: How confident are you that the government will accept outside assistance?

A: Government cooperation would be welcome, but it is not a prerequisite for beginning this work. In the early stages, voluntary DNA collection from living relatives can proceed independently. Preserving these genetic reference samples now is critical, particularly as many parents and close relatives of the disappeared are ageing. If their DNA is not collected in time, the possibility of future identification may be permanently lost, regardless of the political climate. By building a credible, independent database and demonstrating sustained support from families, civil society and international partners, momentum can grow in a way that makes it increasingly difficult for this or future governments to ignore. Political appetite shifts over time. Safeguarding the scientific foundation now ensures that when conditions are more favourable, the infrastructure for identification and ultimately accountability is already in place. President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has publicly emphasized the importance of uncovering the truth in high-profile cases such as the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, and the National People’s Power manifesto has referred to establishing a truth and reconciliation process that commands public trust. While detailed commitments on enforced disappearances have not yet been clearly articulated in office, statements made by the government indicate that truth-seeking remains part of the political conversation. We believe that a credible, independent DNA bank aligns with any genuine commitment to uncoveringthe truth and addressing impunity.

Q: Do you anticipate any opposition from the military?

In many post-conflict contexts, forensic investigations can face resistance, particularly where there are concerns about legal consequences. It would be unrealistic to assume there will be no pushback. However, those who hold power at any given moment will not remain in power indefinitely. Political and institutional landscapes change over time, and accountability processes often unfold over many years. Our position is that this work must continue regardless of short-term resistance. A credible, independent identification process grounded in science is not about targeting an institution; it is about establishing facts and upholding the rule of law. However long it takes, perseverance is essential. The families have already waited decades. If there is opposition, it should be addressed through transparency, legality and international scrutiny, not by abandoning the search for truth.

-This article was originally featured on groundviews.org

Read the full report on https://srilankacampaign.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/DNA-Bank-Concept-Paper-External.pdf

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