ICRC reports 618 missing persons in Iraq in first half of 2024, urges continued support for families

BAGHDAD — In observance of the International Day of Missing Persons, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) reported that 618 individuals have gone missing in Iraq between January and June 2024. The ICRC highlighted that many of these disappearances are a direct result of ongoing armed conflicts, with a significant number of individuals still unaccounted for.

In its statement, the ICRC reaffirmed its commitment to aiding the Iraqi authorities in addressing the issue of missing persons. This includes providing technical support, legal advice, and promoting the application of international humanitarian law to ensure that the right to be found is upheld for every missing person, and that their families are informed of their fate and whereabouts.

Following the ICRC’s announcement, the US Ambassador to Iraq Alina Romanowski called for legislative reforms to address enforced disappearances, emphasizing the need to ensure safety and dignity for all citizens. In a post on the “X” platform, the embassy paid tribute to those affected by this tragic crime.

في اليوم العالمي لضحايا الاختفاء القسري، تكرم السفارة الأمريكية في بغداد المتضررين من هذه الجريمة البشعة وندعو لإجراء تعديلات تشريعية حتى يشعر الناس بالأمان والكرامة في مجتمعاتهم دون خوف من الاختطاف. pic.twitter.com/SXsxl0zo7W

— Ambassador Alina L. Romanowski (@USAmbIraq) August 30, 2024

On this day, the unresolved case of Syriac leader Saeed Malke, who has been missing since his arrest by Syrian regime forces in August 2013 for advocating the national rights of the Syriac (Aramean–Assyrian–Chaldean) people, remains a poignant reminder of the ongoing plight of the missing.