A group of our partners in Iraq gathered along with families of victims of forced disappearances on Tuesday, August 15th, in Baghdad, Mosul, Najaf, Kirkuk, and Nasiriyah, as part of a campaign to commemorate the victims. Many relatives of the missing and forcibly disappeared, along with representatives from human rights organizations, engaged in peaceful demonstrations to share their struggles and demands with the Iraqi government, media, and society.

Together with the families of the victims, our partners issued the following statement:

“Those we have lost, who disappeared from us for varying periods of time, from all the provinces of Iraq, today we stand for them. Without reference to classification, racial, sectarian, or religious distinction, we stand to say with fullness of heart: we remember you; we miss you, we long for you, we hope for your return, we demand your rights, and we live with your memory. We will not forget you as long as we live, and we will pass your stories to the coming generations, so they live as long as conscience lives. Our demands are united, led by the necessity to uncover the fate of our missing and forcibly hidden children. This is our priority as victims’ families. Our voices have often risen, demanding swift revelation of our children’s fates. Our stance today, in all languages and emotions, demands the resolution of this issue. It is the most prominent step among those we have previously sought and found no solution to. From this place, amidst these crowds and through the media, we also demand compensation for damages, ensuring a dignified life for the victims’ families, establishing a specialized center, enacting a national law for the forcibly disappeared and missing, and perpetuating the memory of our loved ones and kin.”

These demonstrations were organized in collaboration with our partners in Iraq. At Impunity Watch, we reaffirm our full support for them and the families of the victims. We join our voices with theirs in their demands, particularly their right to know the fate of their loved ones.