WORKSHOP ON MISSING PERSONS

Coalition Provisional Authority

Baghdad, Iraq, Sunday, July 13, 2003

 

Investigative Options

 

The Investigative process, whether it is for criminal accountability, or simply for humanitarian identification of as many means as possible, is contingent upon the desires of the people.  Here in Iraq, the Iraqi people will have to decide what types of procedures fit with culture and custom, and whether speed or accuracy in identification is more important.  Many of these questions are political, and will require significant input from the Iraqi people. 

 

Different ways to identify remains at Mass Grave sites:

 

• Begin with international experts – but train local Iraqis in scientific digging (including IDs, clothing, etc.). Forensic science can also help identify sex, age, and place of origin, since the types of minerals found in remains can actually help specify what region remains are from.  All of these methods can begin with international experts training and employing Iraqis to do this work.  This will strengthen the overall capacity of the Iraqi scientific community, and allow communities to feel they have taken part in this significant aspect of healing.

 

• DNA:  DNA is the process of matching blood samples from a living relative (best when parent or child relationship, but possible for aunts and uncles) with the DNA, which is a unique identifying characteristic, found in human remains.  DNA can be as high as 95% effective, depending on the site, and the circumstances; however, the process is generally very slow.  Only 8,000 or so of the 30,000 missing in Bosnia are currently identified, 8 years after the conflict.  In addition, to identify remains with no “presumptive identification” (you have no indication as to who the remains belong to) would require that all grave sites be investigated with the intent of taking remains for DNA samples, or else it would not be effective.  You would have families who have given blood samples, but may not have remains to match these samples to if the site containing their loved one was not exhumed by a team which took remains to a DNA laboratory for testing.

 

Political considerations:

 

• DNA is very expensive, and this will be a cost that is born by the Iraqi government and people.

 

• DNA for 300,000 people could take 8 to 10 to 12 years, and still may not provide answers to many families.

 

 

Questions that are important to a national debate:

 

• Are there areas where DNA may be offensive to members of the religious or other communities?

 

• How do we educate communities on this issue, and let the political and community input and debate begin?

 

• How do we bring communities together who may want different things?  For example, in the North, there are reports that mass burial may be a solution, whereas in the Hillah area, there has been a rush to graves to recover remains as quickly as possible.  DNA methods cannot work unless all graves are investigated with DNA samples taken.  It is important to have a national, political plan which tries to address local and community needs.