Project:
Iraq Mass Graves Team
Archaeological forensics provided the umbrella for an efficient interdisciplinary strategy. This strategy began with remote sensing, geophysical prospection, and site discovery followed by systematic grave sampling, GIS based mapping, and rapid but meticulously provenienced data recovery including secure chain of evidence and custody. Subsequent in-country physical anthropology and material analyses provided prosecutors with evidence and expert testimony. Finally, a major emphasis was place on reconciling victims' remains with families and tribal groups to provide some measure of closure to these tragic events.
A brochure further describing GRA's forensic work and capabilities can be found here.
Iraq Mass Graves Team
After the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime in 2003, the extent of a systematic campaign of mass exterminations was exposed by United States and Iraqi authorities. In June 2004, the United States Department of Justice, Regime Crimes Liaison Office (RCLO), Baghdad, tasked the United States Army Corp of Engineers, St. Louis District, Mandatory Center of Expertise for Archaeological Curation and Collections Management (MCX), to organize an archaeological team to undertake a large-scale exhumation and forensic analysis mission. The objective was to collect evidence in support of the prosecutions of former regime leaders. The ongoing trials are structured, in large part, by the results of these efforts. GRA participated in the mass graves recovery efforts, from 2005 through 2007, in various managerial capacities, working directly with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers, St. Louis District, for the RCLO.Archaeological forensics provided the umbrella for an efficient interdisciplinary strategy. This strategy began with remote sensing, geophysical prospection, and site discovery followed by systematic grave sampling, GIS based mapping, and rapid but meticulously provenienced data recovery including secure chain of evidence and custody. Subsequent in-country physical anthropology and material analyses provided prosecutors with evidence and expert testimony. Finally, a major emphasis was place on reconciling victims' remains with families and tribal groups to provide some measure of closure to these tragic events.
Forensic Archaeology
The need to prosecute Saddam Hussein and former regime leaders in the midst of an ongoing insurgency necessitated adaptable, innovative approaches to grave excavation and analysis. An archaeological data recovery template was used as the guiding strategy. The assumption is that context—the recovery of all materials related to the death assemblage—is key to maximizing information yield when speed is of the essence. Background research drew on extant records and informant documentation and was followed up by in-field reconnaissance that involved satellite imagery, high resolution aerial photography, and geophysical testing. Fieldwork was initiated through systematic grave sampling and meticulous mapping integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS). Excavation proceeded methodically by teams skilled in recovering human remains and schooled in osteology and human anatomy. Off-site processing and analysis enabled pathologists to identify cause, sequence and patterns of death. They were then able to reconstruct the timeline for planning and implementation of particular death events. In many of the Kurdish grave sites, identifying tags, clothing, and related material items confirmed associations between grave sites and regions, villages, and tribes of origin. DNA testing can potentially establish more specific familial connections. In many cases, post-mortem analysis of skeletal material and spent shell casings confirmed the shooting of victims within trenches immediately prior to infilling of graves.Forensics and Social Responsibility
The application of a context-based archaeological methodology results in maximal retrieval of the burial assemblage. The recovery of personal effects is critical. Ultimately, the legacy of the victims is preserved in the burial record. Repatriation of remains to the relatives and survivors of the victims ensures that this legacy will be preserved. It provides closure to the mission and those affected by it.A brochure further describing GRA's forensic work and capabilities can be found here.
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