PUTTING THE PAST TO REST - IRAQ'S LOST PEOPLE

Carolyn Cole

Los Angeles Times

During the rein of Saddam Hussein, Hundreds of political opponents were exected in prisons; while thousands more, mostly Shiites were buried in mass graves in the south. The terror he created prevented anyone from asking questions when a relative went missing. With the fall of the brutal leader, Iraqis went seaching. They watched as the dead were unearthed by the thousands in the killing fields near Hilla. Those coming to identify loved ones could finally begin to put the past to rest. In the town of Mussaib, over 400 bodies recovered from mass graves are brought to the Isamic Youth Center, where families walk among the dead in search of their missing relatives.

Carolyn Cole, "PUTTING THE PAST TO REST - IRAQ'S LOST PEOPLE," in POYi Archive, Item #34379, http://archive.poy.org/items/show/34379 (accessed November 23, 2024).