Anbar-INA
The Martyrs Foundation announced on Saturday that it has begun operations to open seven mass graves dating back to the former regime in the 1980s, coinciding with the commemoration of the National Day of Mass Graves, which falls on May 16 each year.
The Director General of the Department of Mass Graves Affairs and Protection at the Martyrs Foundation, Diaa Karim, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) in a special statement that the “Martyrs Foundation has traditionally commemorated this national occasion at the actual site of the event. Today, in cooperation with partner entities, work has begun to open seven mass graves dating back to the 1980s.”
He added that,” all seven graves have been prepared for the exhumation of remains, which will be handed over to the Forensic Medicine Department to conduct laboratory tests and DNA analysis in order to identify the victims.”
He explained that "the work is not limited to opening the graves only, but includes other tasks that depend on analyzing aerial images and visual inspection by archaeological teams to identify sites that may contain other mass graves."
He noted that “the documented evidence confirms that executions were carried out at this site in several phases, some in the early 1980s and others in the late 1980s,” stressing that “all evidence and remains will be submitted in legal case files to the competent courts to support judicial proceedings and hold those responsible for these crimes accountable.”
He explained that "the final counting of the remains goes through several stages, starting with the wet morgue for initial classification on site, then they are transferred to the dry morgue in the Department of Forensic Medicine, which issues the final numbers after the classification processes are completed."
He added, "The team, during a 21-day operation, discovered seven mass graves, and subsequent phases will continue in coordination with the relevant authorities and the Directorate of Martyrs' Affairs."
For his part, the Assistant Director General of the Mass Graves Department and head of the excavation team, Dirgham Kamel Abdul Majeed, told the Iraqi News Agency (INA) that "the national team for opening mass graves includes the Martyrs Foundation, the Department for the Protection of Mass Graves and Missing Persons, and the Department of Forensic Medicine at the Ministry of Health, in addition to specialists in technical, legal, archaeological, chemical, and forensic photography fields."
He explained that “the process of opening mass graves begins with an initial inspection, followed by the use of specialized tools to reach the remains, with excavation carried out with high precision to preserve the integrity of the remains and prevent them from mixing with neighboring remains,” adding that “the remains are recovered in accordance with international standards and placed in special body bags before being handed over to the Forensic Medicine Department to complete victim identification procedures.”
He noted that “the number of victims identified in previous periods has reached around 2,500, including victims of the former regime as well as victims of terrorism.”