Group says it knows of 150 mass graves in Iraq

Baghdad – A political group says it has knowledge of the existence of at least 150 more mass graves in Iraq.

But the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq will withhold the information about the location of the burials from the public until a national government is set up in the country.

"The council has lists containing 150 mass graves undiscovered so far. They are distributed across Iraq," SCIRI's deputy head, Abdulaziz al-Hakim, told Iraq Press.

He said the decision not to disclose the whereabouts of these graves was taken on humanitarian grounds.

"We want to protect the remains of the victims from haphazard digging. The bereaved relatives will rush to the sites in search of their beloved ones if we reveal the information.

"We want to get the assistance of international organizations to document the atrocities of the former regime. We seek their help to provide their technical expertise in identifying the victims," al-Hakim said.

He said his group would like to see all those with a hand in these atrocities put on trial for crimes against the Iraqi people.

SCIRI and its leaders have moved to Iraq after more than two decades of exile in Iran. The group along with other political parties is in talks with the U.S. civilian administration for the establishment of an interim authority in the country.

Thousands of distraught Iraqis continue to search for remains of loved ones in mass graves found so far. Digging is taking place at least at seven such sites in Kirkuk, Baghdad, Hilla, Najaf and Basra.

But human rights groups have denounced the unorganized search and digging. They accuse the coalition forces of failing to protect the sites.

The largest mass grave found since the toppling of Saddam Hussein's government is just outside the small village of al-Mahawil, located near the city of Hilla about 90 kilometers south of Baghdad.

Local volunteers said last week that remains of up to 3,000 people had been found, but estimates suggest there could be as many as 15,000 buried at the site.

Grief-stricken Iraqis are said to be still sifting through the bones on the site, searching for identity cards or personal effects which may aid the identification of the bodies.

The volunteers have reported uncovering the bodies of women and children as young as 10 with some believed to have been buried alive.

"The perpetrators must be punished and any new government must establish national tribunal courts to try the criminals," al-Hakim said.

		Druckversion
	21.05.2003 \| Iraq Press Group says it knows of 150 mass graves in Iraq Baghdad – A political group says it has knowledge of the existence of at least 150 more mass graves in Iraq. But the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq will withhold the information about the location of the burials from the public until a national government is set up in the country. "The council has lists containing 150 mass graves undiscovered so far. They are distributed across Iraq," SCIRI's deputy head, Abdulaziz al-Hakim, told Iraq Press. He said the decision not to disclose the whereabouts of these graves was taken on humanitarian grounds. "We want to protect the remains of the victims from haphazard digging. The bereaved relatives will rush to the sites in search of their beloved ones if we reveal the information. "We want to get the assistance of international organizations to document the atrocities of the former regime. We seek their help to provide their technical expertise in identifying the victims," al-Hakim said. He said his group would like to see all those with a hand in these atrocities put on trial for crimes against the Iraqi people. SCIRI and its leaders have moved to Iraq after more than two decades of exile in Iran. The group along with other political parties is in talks with the U.S. civilian administration for the establishment of an interim authority in the country. Thousands of distraught Iraqis continue to search for remains of loved ones in mass graves found so far. Digging is taking place at least at seven such sites in Kirkuk, Baghdad, Hilla, Najaf and Basra. But human rights groups have denounced the unorganized search and digging. They accuse the coalition forces of failing to protect the sites. The largest mass grave found since the toppling of Saddam Hussein's government is just outside the small village of al-Mahawil, located near the city of Hilla about 90 kilometers south of Baghdad. Local volunteers said last week that remains of up to 3,000 people had been found, but estimates suggest there could be as many as 15,000 buried at the site. Grief-stricken Iraqis are said to be still sifting through the bones on the site, searching for identity cards or personal effects which may aid the identification of the bodies. The volunteers have reported uncovering the bodies of women and children as young as 10 with some believed to have been buried alive. "The perpetrators must be punished and any new government must establish national tribunal courts to try the criminals," al-Hakim said. WADI e.V. \| tel.: (+49) 069-57002440 \| fax (+49) 069-57002444 http://www.wadinet.de \| e-mail: