WORKSHOP ON MISSING PERSONS — Basrah — 13 تموز 2003

WORKSHOP ON MISSING PERSONS Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 13, 2003 Mass Graves, Sandra L. Hodgkinson, Director of Human Rights, Coalition Provisional Authority New mass graves in Iraq are being discovered every day. The mass graves in Iraq are generally unmarked graves, which contain the remains of many people. At last count, we have received reports of 102 grave sites. We confirmed 16; and listed 26 as “probable” sites. We have been assessing these sites with military investigators and international forensics experts. Although it is too early to have forensic analysis on many of the sites, clusters of graves have been found in Hillah, Najaf and Kerbala – mostly dating from the 1991 Uprising. Clusters have also been found in Basrah, to include the 1991 uprising and Gulf War; in Baghdad, from throughout the regime; and in Kirkuk and Mosul, which include sites from 1991 and the 1980s. Many sites containing Kurdish remains appear to be located in deserted areas around the country. It will take time before we locate many of the sites which are in remote areas; and to determine that actual date of burial for many of the remains we have already seen. Recent estimates place the number of victims in mass graves at more than 300,000. Some mass graves can provide significant information on missing persons. In some of the sites from the 1991 uprising and from the various wars, military members were buried with their military uniforms and laminated ID cards. These make identification easier. Other personal effects, such as clothing and distinctive items or jewelry can also make identification possible. Dental records can also assist in identifying mortal remains. It is much easier to identify remains when there is a “presumptive identification.” This means that you have an idea who is buried in the grave. This can be because there are lists of missing persons that were allegedly killed in a particular spot at a particular time or there is specific witness testimony which recalls the specific dates and circumstances surrounding a particular burial. If you have this presumptive identification, then it becomes easier to match a particular list of 100 names with the 100 sets of remains found on site. Witness testimony is also very significant in those areas where local witnesses, or perpetrators themselves, can recall details which make identification easier. Here in Iraq, we have already found many witnesses who recall specific details at many of the burial sites we have assessed. Identification is very difficult, however, for individuals who were stripped of identification, placed in different clothes, such as prison clothes, or forced to swap clothes with another victim to make future identifications more difficult. There are many cases in Iraq, particularly stemming from the North, where large numbers of male victims in the 1980s, were taken far away from their homes and families, often without personal effects or identification, and were killed in deserted areas where their remains now lie. In these more remote areas, where victims are been buried in mass graves far away from their homes, and there are very few, if any, witnesses able to recall details, identification can be extremely difficult. There are very specific scientific methods of trying to identify missing persons, when other methods are inadequate. The science of DNA testing was used in the Balkans to match blood samples of living family relatives with the DNA found in mortal remains. This process, although much more accurate than regular methods of identification, is very costly and generally takes many years to accomplish for large numbers of unidentified remains. Other forensic and non-forensic means of investigating sites, many of which can be conducted by trained members in the community, can greatly increase the possibility of identification. This is why it is so important that graves sites are not dug up before trained investigators can arrive on the scenes. The CPA has attempted to communicate a strong message to the Iraqi people to ask for their patience in not digging up grave sites, and we believe that this message is getting through now. Although we do understand how long the Iraqi people have waited for this time in history to recover the remains of their loved ones – with a little patience, individuals who are skilled in scientific digging can identify as many remains as possible from a particular site based upon some of the factors I have just indicated and other forensic methods. The mass graves of Iraq contain many answers to the fate of the missing. With patience, and dedication on the part of the Iraqi people, we can attempt to identify as many remains as possible as quickly as possible, so that these individuals can have a dignified and proper burial – and so that those who survived, can begin to look towards the future, instead of spending their days living in the past. Our goal, is to support the Iraqi people as they move forward. Return to Human Rights Page