News and press interest – 14th June 2003

In response to the humanitarian need and to protect evidence, forensic scientists began work in Iraq while hostilities were still continuing. With two days preparation Inforce personnel flew to Baghdad in May 2003. The team, led by Professor Margaret Cox, included 8 forensic scientists covering geophysics, anthropology, archaeology, surveying, and photography.

Over a six week period, Inforce worked at mass grave sites at Hilla and Musayib, south-west of Baghdad, in order to assess the situation and advise the local community leaders. We were received warmly and had many requests for assistance. Given the scale of their loss, we admire the communities’ will and their effectiveness in responding to a long awaited opportunity to recover the remains of their loved ones. We are impressed by what we have seen of the way in which local communities have taken charge of recovering their dead and are creating memorials.

However, in order to recover all the evidence communities need advice, assistance and training. Inforce can help with this process. Without skilled assistance much evidence is, unfortunately, not recovered. At one site the Inforce team spent two hours in a grave that the locals had dug and revealed the remains of six more individuals. With assistance and training more human remains will be recovered and identified and many more families can be reunited with their dead.

As well as this important humanitarian work we are supporting the Coalition Provisional Authority in providing informed forensic input into the development of policy recommendations designed to provide a structured international response to the mass graves legacy. This advice covers the recovery of evidence of the highest standard to be used in courts and developing an Iraqi owned and led capacity to take control of the mass graves that the new Iraq inherits.

Professor Margaret Cox commented:

“Since we arrived in Baghdad, the official number of suspected mass grave sites has climbed to over fifty. One of these sites alone, Musayib, has at least six mass graves and more may be discovered. We understand that approximately 300,000 people have been murdered. It would appear that the old regime was propped up with the bones of the Iraqi people buried beneath its sands.”