Monthly Archives: May 2023

ICMP supports the Halabja Chemical Attack Victims Association on International Missing Children’s Day

Erbil, 25 May 2023 Today, on International Missing Children’s Day, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) joined the Halabja Chemical Attack Victims Association for a commemorative event. This brought together families to honor the memory of their loved ones who went missing during the attack on the city of Halabja in 1988 with chemical weapons. The families also had the opportunity to meet with members of the Committee on the Fate of Missing Children of Halabja established by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), and Members of Parliament from the Kurdistan Region to discuss the work of the Committee in fostering collaboration between all stakeholders.

“During the chemical attack on Halabja city on March 16, 1988, more than 400 children went missing. Families of the missing children in Halabja place their hope in the efforts of KRG’s newly established committee to clarify the fate of their loved ones and…

Accounting for the Missing Is Essential to Iraq’s Recovery

Baghdad, 16 May 2023 – The identification of missing persons is essential to the healing process for families and communities affected by conflict, the Head of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) Iraq Program, Alexander Hug, said today.

ICMP’s team in Iraq attended a commemoration service to mark Iraq’s National Day of Mass Graves. During the event, it was announced that identified remains of victims of the June 2014 Badush Massacre will be returned to the families.

The Badush site, a former prison, was used by Da’esh for detentions and executions. ICMP provided advice and assistance to the Iraqi authorities during excavations at the site. As a result of this partnership at Badush and other sites, the authorities have been able to conduct several successful excavations.

“Today we honor the memory of the victims of Da’esh’s atrocities,” Mr Hug said. “Our work at the Badush site, alongside our Iraqi partners and…

Yazidi Families Discuss Role of Government, Civil Society in Accounting for the Missing in Iraq

The Hague, 15 May 2023: Families of the missing are the key stakeholders in an effective missing persons process and must play a central role in the process if it is to succeed, participants agreed at a two-day series of discussions and briefings facilitated by the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) this week. ICMP experts and representatives of Iraqi institutions – the Martyrs’ Foundation (Mass Grave Directorate) and the Ministry of Health (Medico-Legal Directorate) – took part in the discussions.

During the two-day event, ICMP presented the Iraqi Guide for Families of the Missing, which lays out the rights of families and the key elements of a sustainable and effective process, and participants visited ICMP’s Human Identification laboratory at its Headquarters in The Hague.

This week’s series follows a commemorative event on the Rights of Yazidi Families of the Missing, held on 10-11 December 2021. The event included…

Experts from Iraq Visit ICMP Headquarters And Human Identification Laboratory in The Hague

The Hague, 12 May 2023: – Experts from Iraq today completed a five-day visit to the Headquarters of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) in The Hague. The experts, from the Martyrs’ Foundation Directorate for Protection and Affairs of Mass Graves and the Ministry of Health Medico-Legal Directorate, received a series of briefings on the various stages of an effective DNA-led process to account for large numbers of missing persons.

At ICMP’s Human Identification laboratory, the Iraqi visitors were able to see at first hand DNA profiling from genetic samples provided by families of the missing and post-mortem samples from unidentified human remains. They were also able to see how these samples are compared using ICMP’s integrated Data Management System (iDMS).

In addition, the visitors were briefed on strategies that can be adopted to facilitate the active engagement of families of the missing and society as a whole in was…

ICMP Launches a Short Guide for Families of the Missing in Iraq

Erbil, 4 May 2023: – The International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), together with its Iraqi partners, launched today a “Short Guide for Families of the Missing in Iraq” in an event held in Erbil. The guide aims to assist Iraqi families of the missing and other members of Iraqi Civil Society better understand how the missing persons process in Iraq works and outlines the process that Iraq is undertaking to account for the missing, and explains the steps that families can take to secure their rights to truth, justice and reparation regardless of sectarian, or national background or the time period, location, or circumstances of the disappearance of their loved ones.

“ICMP’s mandate is to help the Iraqi authorities to enhance their capacity to conduct effective investigations to account for all missing persons,” said ICMP director-general Kathryne Bomberger. “The guide will help bridge the gap between the families and…