Abstract
Background and objectives: The 1988 Halabja chemical attack has come to be synonymous with acts of genocidal violence, but to many Kurds, atrocity lies best buried in mass graves. This paper will look at the nature of forensic exhumations and how they are functioning between science, law and politics in Halabja and shall analyze the evidentiary strength and ethical ramifications of these exhumations besides the social impact of the same. It posits the question of whether mass graves can serve as both a source of legal accountability, and a site of memory which can be inhabited, in light of political silencing and denial that continues to endure.
Methods: A qualitative design employing Van Manen’s hermeneutic phenomenology guided the inquiry. Twelve purposively sampled participants included direct survivors of the 1988 Halabja genocide (n=5), relatives of victims (n=4), and forensic experts (n=3), aged 25–72, residing in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Semi-structured interviews (65–85 minutes) were conducted from June to August 2025 to collect required data which were analyzed through Van Manen’s six-step approach to identify essential themes.
Results: Five main themes emerged: (1) forensic exhumations as truth-seeking tools; (2) justice and legal accountability; (3) political silence and denial; (4) social and psychological impacts on families and communities; and (5) mass graves as sites of memory and political struggle.
Conclusion: In Halabja, exhumation holds the potential to anchor real and lasting truth and contribute to genocide accountability when it is conducted independently, rigorously scientific, and transparent; when courts model the limitations imposed by inference; and when exhumation is placed in pace with psychosocial care and in concert with culturally resonant memorial activities. The reduction of political obstruction, the enhancement of liaison between the families and forensic scientists, and the protection of chain-of-custody are the indispensable elements to transform the results of forensics to recognition, justice, and valuable commemoration.
Keywords: Halabja; Kurdistan Region of Iraq; mass graves; forensic exhumation; genocide; political denial; transitional justice; psychosocial impact.
I am a fourt-year medical student driven by a
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