Shingal mass graves will continue to be documented by UN, Iraqi teams
It confirmed "ongoing forensic and technical support for the teams of the Government of Iraq" in a statement released on Monday.
Mohammed Taher al-Tamimi, the general director of Iraq's NGO Directorate and Chairman of the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers Operations Room, ensures cooperation between the UN team and Baghdad.
“We are proud to say that the first exhumation operation in Kojo [Kocho] was delivered successfully, in line with all legal requirements and international best practices, and in coordination with the specialists from UNITAD," he said in the UNITAD statement.
The work "is of great concern to all Iraqis," explained Tamimi.
He said in a statement issued by his office on Saturday that they have "successfully conducted" coordination efforts with UNITAD.
"The exhuming of mass graves in Sinjar is a beginning to achieve transitional justice," added Tamimi who updates colleagues in the Council of Ministers Operations Room.
They were represented by the Iraqi Forensic Medicine Department, Ministry of Health and Environment, and the National Group for Mass Graves.
The efforts on the ground in Kocho began on March 15. The UNITAD team has met with Iraqi spiritual leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, government officials in both Baghdad and Erbil, as well as local Yezidi officials and survivors.
UNITAD Special Adviser and Head of the Investigative Team Karim A. A. Khan QC said they are "delighted with the spirit of cooperation, commitment and professionalism" among the Iraqi teams.
"This next phase of exhumations in Kojo shows that the national and international communities are united in support of accountability for Iraqis of all faiths, and all communities," he said in the statement.
The next phase of exhumation work will be coordinated with the assistance of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP).
Justice and recognition are two barriers to return especially for Yezidis who suffered genocide at the hands of the Islamic State (ISIS).
Gathering evidence up to international standards of ISIS's atrocities is necessary for global recognition and justice.
"The UNITAD team will include the head of its forensic unit as well as the senior lawyer responsible for Sinjar investigations," the statement added.