USACE (MCX-CMAC) - Mass Graves Investigations, Iraq
The Iraqi Special Tribunal (IST) came into being on 10 December 2003 as authorized by the Statue of the Special Tribunal. The Tribunal has jurisdiction over genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other crimes specified by that Statue (Article 11-14) committed by Iraqi citizens or residents between 17 July 1968 and 1 May 2003. These include crimes committed in connection with Iraq's war with the Islamic Republic of Iran and the State of Kuwait, as well as crimes against Iraqi citizens.
The Statute gives the Tribunal Investigative Judges the authority to question suspects, victims and witnesses, to collect evidence, and to conduct on-site investigations. On 28 July 2004 the tribunal formally requested the Regime Crimes Liaison Office (RCLO) to assist in investigating violations of the Statute of the Iraqi Special Tribunal. These investigations were to include exhumations of mass graves in Al Hathar and Al Samawah. The order specified that the work include both foreign and national forensic personnel and be completed under the supervision of the court and the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights.
In June 2004, the Regime Crimes Liaison Office (RCLO) contacted the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Louis District, Manadatory Center for Expertise for Archaeological Curation and Collections Management (MCX), with a formal request to provide the expertise necessary to scientifically investigate mass graves and to document and recover evidence that would withstand scrutiny in an international court. The mission proposed by the RCLO identified the Center of Expertise as experts whose efforts would assist the Tribunal and the Iraqi Interim Government in achieving their goals.
This collection in tDAR contains a series of reports prepared by the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Louis District, Manadatory Center for Expertise for Archaeological Curation and Collections Management, on forensic investigations conducted in Iraq on mass graves that were located and excavated.
Site Name Keywords
Karbala Province, Iraq - Site Number KAR0008 •
Ninawa0002 •
KAR0024 •
Muthanna0002 •
Karbala Province, Iraq - Site Number KAR0007 •
Karbala Province, Iraq - Site Number KAR0025 •
Karbala Province, Iraq - Site Number KAR0024 •
Tar as Saiyid, Iraq •
Maysan, Province, Iraq-Site Number Maysan0003 •
Nasiriyah, Iraq - Site Number DQR0008
Site Type Keywords
Funerary and Burial Structures or Features •
Mass Grave •
Burial Pit •
Archaeological Feature •
Non-Domestic Structures •
Ball Court •
Governmental Structure •
Historic Governmental Structure •
Structure •
Historic Structure
Other Keywords
Iraq •
1st Marine Expeditionary Force (MEF) •
Ashwah •
Iraqi High Tribunal •
Iran-Iraq War •
Task Force Justice •
Karbala •
Karbala Province •
General Security Service (Mudiriyat al-Amn al-Amma) •
Forensic Investigation
Culture Keywords
Modern Iraq •
Historic •
Sunni Islam •
Shia Islam •
Modern Kurdish •
Mass Grave
Investigation Types
Data Recovery / Excavation •
Collections Research •
Heritage Management •
Reconnaissance / Survey •
Bioarchaeological Research •
Remote Sensing
Material Types
Human Remains •
Textile •
Metal •
Fauna •
Shell •
Ballistics •
Medicine Vial •
Syringe •
medication, toiletries, housewares, combs, coins, matches, yarn, bags, blankets
Temporal Keywords
Operation Iraqi Freedom •
Iran–Iraq War •
Gulf War
Geographic Keywords
Republic of Iraq (Country) •
Asia (Continent) •
Iraq •
Karbala' (State / Territory) •
Ninawa (State / Territory) •
Karbala •
Dhi Qar (State / Territory) •
Islamic Republic of Iran (Country) •
Khuzestan (State / Territory) •
Salah ad Din (State / Territory)
Resources Inside This Collection (Viewing 1-8 of 8)
- Documents (8)
-
Forensic Investigation of a Mass Grave Complex, Maysan Province, Iraq (2006)
DOCUMENT Full-Text
1. Maysan 0003 is a mass grave complex near the city of Al Amarah, Mayan Province, Iraq. The site was located by a British military patrol in late May 2003. Head Quarters 1st United Kingdom Armored Division (HQ 1 UK ARMD DIV) advised the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), Task Force Justice (TFJ) that victims from the 1991 uprising had been shot and buried at the site. TFJ performed a map reconnaissance on 14 June 2003 and a site reconnaissance on 15 June 2003. A local farmer and other...
-
Forensic Investigation of a Mass Grave Complex, Muthanna Province, Iraq (2005)
DOCUMENT Full-Text
Executive Summary 1. Muthanna0002 was the name used to designate a mass grave complex southeast of the town of As Samawah, Muthanna Province, Iraq. The Muthanna0002 graves were initially discovered around 1998 by Bedouin herders. Coalition forces were first informed of the site’s existence in May 2003, at which time the I MEF Mass Gravesite Assessment Team, Task Force – Justice, under Major Alvin Schmidt, conducted a Sensitive Site Exploitation (SSE). The team categorized the alleged mass...
-
Forensic Investigation of a Reported Mass Grave, Nasiriyah, Iraq (2006)
DOCUMENT Full-Text
1. Dhi Qar 0008 (DQR0008) is a reported mass grave site on the grounds of the former General Security Service (GSS) building, located on the west bank of the Euphrates River, along the southwest margin of the city of An Nasiriyah. On 13 April 2005, during backhoe operations being carried out at the direction of the landowner, the location was discovered to contain the remains of multiple individuals. Local investigators reported to the Iraqi High Tribunal (IHT) that 28 remains were excavated...
-
Forensic Investigation of Mass Grave KAR0024, Karbala Province, Iraq (2007)
DOCUMENT Full-Text
Executive Summary: 1. Tar-as-Saiyid is a prominent escarpment located in a remote desert area approximately 27 kilometers southwest of the city of Karbala. The escarpment lies along an area that was previously the site of an Iraqi military range in a region also known as Tall Tar and Ashwah. The I Marine Expeditionary Force, Task Force Justice (I MEF), the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA), and Inforce Foundation investigated several sites in the area in 2003. 2. On 14 May 2006,...
-
Forensic Investigations - Commingled Remains from the NinawaA0002 Mass Grave, Ninawa Province, Iraq (2006)
DOCUMENT Full-Text
The mass grave site known as Ninawa0002 is located in the Ninawa Province near Al Hatra, Iraq. In 2004, an explorative excavation was conducted by the U.S. Criminal Investigations Division (CID) to document the existence of a mass grave at the site. The initial search and documentation team led by CID personnel confirmed the presence of a large mass grave. In late 2004 and early 2005, the Regime Crimes Liaison Office (RCLO) and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducted a more thorough...
-
Forensic Investigations at Two Mass Graves, Ninawa Province, Iraq (2005)
DOCUMENT Full-Text
1. Ninawa0002 and Ninawa0009 were the names used to designate two mass grave trenches near Al Hatra, Iraq. The Ninawa0002 grave site came to the attention of the Human Rights Watch (HRW) in 1988, and by 2000 the site was identified as “al Hadar” (al Hatra), due to its proximity to the nearby historical ruins. On 15 July 2003, the 31st Military Police Detachment Criminal Investigation Division (CID) began an excavation after human remains were discovered during earlier testing (Graziano, 2004)....
-
Forensic Investigations of Mass Grave KAR0008, Karbala Province, Iraq (2006)
DOCUMENT Full-Text
Karbala 0008 (KAR0008) designates a mass grave located approximately 27 kilometers southwest of the city of Karbala in Karbala Province, Iraq. In 2003, the Human Rights Watch Society, Karbala reported that individuals had been shot and buried in berms at the site location. The Inforce Foundation performed reconnaissance on 24-26 June 2003 (site code TAT03) and reported no evidence of a grave. On 3 August 2003, the I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) Mass Gravesite Assessment Team, Task Force...
-
Forensic Survey Along the Tar As Saiyid, Karbala Province, Iraq (2007)
DOCUMENT Full-Text
The goals of the Regime Crimes Liaison Office (RCLO) Mass Graves Investigation Team (MGIT) project can be stated as the systematic excavation, documentation, analysis, and reporting of mass graves in Iraq in support of the Iraqi High Tribunal (IHT) investigations into genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and other crimes. In spring 2006, the MGIT excavated the mass grave Karbala 0008, a desert site in Karbala Province and several other sites around Karbala Province.