The Iraqi authorities are required to reveal the fate of about one million missing persons

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[size=52]The Iraqi authorities are required to reveal the fate of about one million missing persons[/size]

[size=45]Translation: Hamed Ahmed[/size]
[size=45]A news report stated that the Iraqi authorities are on the cusp of a challenge through which they can make rapid progress, pointing out that it is solving the problem of hundreds of thousands of missing persons over four decades.[/size]
[size=45]A report published by the Arab News website stated that "the political parties in Iraq, after the October elections, are now engaged in the process of forming a new government, which in turn will face huge challenges."[/size]
[size=45]The report, which was translated by (Al Mada), added that "there is one area in which the newly appointed authorities can achieve significant and rapid progress."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The authorities can implement an effective strategy to solve the problem of hundreds of thousands of missing and disappeared Iraqis over four decades of wars, human rights violations and other brutal acts."[/size]
[size=45]The report pointed out that "government officials from Iraq agreed on the main provisions of a long-term strategy regarding the missing, during a meeting organized by the International Committee on Missing Persons last August in The Hague on the occasion of the International Day of the Disappeared," explaining that "the new government will be in a position to implement this strategy as soon as possible." take power.”[/size]
[size=45]The report stated, "Iraqi government sources estimate that there are 250 thousand to one million missing people in Iraq," stressing that "the rule of law will face a great challenge in the absence of solutions to this huge number of missing persons."[/size]
[size=45]And he stated, "Civil society organizations question the credibility and good faith of the authorities. Therefore, locating the missing and investigating cases of absence ensures that the survivors' rights to justice and compensation are secured rights, which in turn will have a profound impact on efforts to achieve peace and stability."[/size]
[size=45]He continued, "Iraqi institutions and decision makers, and over the years, have taken positive steps by establishing centers and enacting laws, especially the Mass Graves Protection Law of 2006, which was amended in 2015 to be in the name of the Mass Graves Affairs Law that also included missing persons as a result of the brutal acts of ISIS."[/size]
[size=45]The report continues, "In 2010, Iraq ratified the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons Covered in Enforced Absenteeism."[/size]
[size=45]He pointed out, "The activation of other laws in the federal government and the Kurdistan Regional Government to establish automated procedures and support survivors."[/size]
[size=45]The report spoke of "Iraqi government institutions excavating more than 200 mass graves and collecting DNA samples for more than 12,000 bodies for the purpose of proving their identities, and at least 15,000 people have been reported missing."[/size]
[size=45]He stated that "there is a need for a long-term Iraqi strategy consistent with international law and best practices that includes, for example, central coordination of the missing persons process with an impartial central registry with information protection guarantees for people who give information to find their relatives."[/size]
[size=45]The report added, "The International Commission on Missing Persons issued in July 2018 a document in which it highlighted strategic measures for the purpose of implementing an effective process for missing persons in Iraq."[/size]
[size=45]He noted, "the development of these options through workshops with representatives from Iraqi institutions and civil society organizations for the period between 2019 and 2020".[/size]
[size=45]The report stated, "Representatives of the Iraqi government discussed a draft strategy over a five-year period based on the options of last year's conference hosted by the International Committee for Refugees in The Hague."[/size]
[size=45]He stressed, “A consensus was reached during the conference held in 2021 on 12 recommendations that constitute the foundations of a comprehensive strategy, including creating a central mechanism, adopting a national plan, improving information management and protection, ensuring government spending for the process, enhancing the role and influence of civil society organizations, supporting the rights of survivors, especially women, and bringing those involved to be brought to justice.”[/size]
[size=45]The report continues, "The next government has an opportunity to move forward quickly in this field," and cautioned that "a cadre of Iraqi forensic scientists and affiliated with relevant institutions are ready to implement a strategy that has been formulated over the years."[/size]
[size=45]He finds, "Hundreds of thousands of families of the missing, from different religious sects and ethnicities, will contribute and benefit from the implementation of such a strategy, and what is required in its implementation is political support."[/size]
[size=45]And the report indicated, "The participants and in the conference held in The Hague agreed on the need for a high-level meeting of the relevant institutions in Iraq after the formation of a new government, for the purpose of adopting and moving forward a comprehensive national strategy for the missing in the country."[/size]
[size=45]The report concluded, "It is expected that real and rapid progress will be achieved in addressing and confronting one of the huge challenges facing Iraq today, with political support."[/size]
[size=45]• About the Arab News website[/size]
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