Abstract
Background and objectives: A long history of war has resulted in thousands of missing people and families with ambiguous loss in Iraqi Kurdistan. The recent forensic exhumation in Sorya, Duhok, brought renewal to hope and opened old wounds. Although the Sorya graves have been forensically documented, little research has been conducted on psychosocial impact and family coping mechanisms. This paper examines how grief, resilience, and recognition and justice expectations are formed by bones, narratives, and legal processes involving affected families to inform culturally responsive psychosocial support and victim-focused forensic practice.
Methods: Hermeneutic phenomenology (van Manen) was used to study ten relatives (5 women, 5 men; 33 – 64 years) of mass-grave victims found in Sorya. Semi-structured interviews (65 – 85 minutes) were conducted from July to August 2025 to collect required data. Meaning units and themes were obtained by employing thematic analysis via van Manen’s six activities.
Results: Five interlinked themes emerged: (1) the weight of uncertainty; (2) stories as carriers of grief and memory; (3) emotional landscape of exhumation; (4) coping and support systems; and (5) healing through recognition and justice.
Conclusion: Exhumation enables recognition but does not automatically heal the grief. Family-centered, transparent, culturally grounded forensic processes – paired with accessible, community-based psychosocial support and meaningful acknowledgment and accountability – are crucial to restore dignity and mitigate enduring harms.
Keywords: ambiguous loss; mass grave investigations; exhumation; Sorya village, Duhok Governorate, hermeneutic phenomenology; psychosocial support; transitional justice. Full Text Research
