Forensic directorate to continue returning Badush massacre remains over holidays

BAGHDAD — Iraq’s Medico-Legal Directorate said Wednesday it will continue handing over the remains of victims of the Badush prison massacre to their families in Baghdad and other governorates on Thursday, despite the day coinciding with an official public holiday.

In a statement, the directorate said it “announces the continuation of handing over the remains of the victims of the Badush massacre to their respected families in Baghdad and the governorates, according to the previously announced times and locations, for tomorrow, Thursday, despite coinciding with the official holiday.”

The directorate said it will keep working “out of its commitment to completing this humanitarian file and easing the suffering of the victims’ families.”

Islamic State militants carried out the Badush prison massacre on June 10, 2014, after overrunning Mosul and the facility. ISIS separated Sunni inmates and executed hundreds of predominantly Shiite prisoners at multiple locations, with estimates of at least 670 killed and some reports placing the toll at about 1,000. Iraqi authorities later uncovered mass graves and have been identifying remains and returning them to families.

In July, the Ministry of Health announced the delivery of the remains of 20 victims as part of the fourth batch identified from the Badush massacre. Ahmed Munim, deputy head of the Technical Database Unit at the Mass Graves Department of the Medico-Legal Directorate, said at the time that “this batch is the fourth in terms of matching and includes 20 martyrs, bringing the total number handed over so far to 171 martyrs.”

Munim said the remains were distributed through medico-legal departments based on families’ places of residence, including Baghdad, Babil, Salah al-Din, Basra, Najaf, Karbala, Dhi Qar and Diyala.