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Baghdad, 16 May 2026 – On Iraq’s National Day of Mass Graves, the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) reiterates its commitment to supporting Iraq’s efforts to locate, recover and identify missing persons from all communities and from all periods of conflict and repression, including crimes committed under the former regime, atrocities committed by Da’esh/ISIS, and other armed conflicts and human rights violations. ICMP reaffirms its support to families of the missing and civil society organizations representing them in securing their rights to truth, justice and reparations.
Thousands of families in Iraq continue to live with uncertainty about the fate and whereabouts of missing relatives. Accounting for the missing is essential to securing truth, justice and reparations, upholding the rule of law, and enabling families to lay their loved ones to rest with dignity.
ICMP has worked with Iraqi institutions for two decades to support a sustainable, rule-of-law-based missing persons process. Key national institutions leading this work include the Martyrs Foundation’s Directorate for Protection of Mass Graves and Missing Persons, the Ministry of Health’s Medico-Legal Directorate and the Ministry of Justice. ICMP has supported efforts to strengthen a central coordination mechanism, improve data management and integration, and establish a national central record of missing persons, streamlining procedures for families in line with national law. The recently established National Committee on Missing Persons can further contribute to these efforts.
In recent years, Iraqi authorities, with ICMP support, have made progress in documenting, assessing and excavating mass and clandestine graves, collecting data and biological reference samples from families, and strengthening national investigative capacity consistent with legal standards. ICMP has also supported civil society organizations representing families through small grants programs, and worked to make information accessible to families regardless of sectarian, ethnic, national or religious background, or the time, place or circumstances of disappearance.
Recent activities include site assessments in Mosul, Diwaniya and Najaf (March 2026), the Harmat site excavation in Mosul (April 2026) involving victims of ISIS crimes, and ongoing excavation work in Anbar Province, all related to Da’esh/ISIS crimes or crimes of the former regime.
“On Iraq’s National Day of Mass Graves, ICMP stands with all families of the missing, across all communities, who continue to wait for answers,” said Alexander Hug, Head of Mission of ICMP’s Iraq Program. “The work led by Iraqi institutions is vital for truth, justice and the rule of law. ICMP will continue to support the Iraqi Government so that more missing persons can be located and identified, and so that families can finally lay their loved ones to rest.”
Sustained international support remains essential. ICMP’s assistance enables Iraqi institutions to expand excavation, identification, data management and family outreach efforts, while helping ensure investigations meet forensic and legal standards. Continued investment in ICMP’s Iraq Program is an investment in Iraq’s institutional capacity, the rights of families, and the rule of law.
ICMP honors the victims and their families and calls for renewed commitment to a comprehensive, inclusive and sustainable process to account for Iraq’s missing.
ICMP’s work in Iraq is supported by the Government of the Netherlands and the German Federal Foreign Office.
