'NEVER PLAY JOKES ON THE GUY WITH THE MACHINE GUN'

'NEVER play jokes on the guy with the machine gun. He might not share your sense of humour.' That’s the advice from Archaeologists for Human Rights (AFHR) who want you to work for them in Iraq.

A group of young German archaeologists formed AFHR in the aftermath of the recent war. The Digger spoke exclusively to one of the founders, Sinje Stoyke, who has been in Iraq since September. AFHR advertised recently in the UK for diggers for a ‘long-term project of excavating and documenting mass graves in Iraq.’ Several hundred graves are already known from the hundreds of thousands of victims of Saddam Hussein’s regime. If you want the job, you’ll be paid USD2500-3000 (UKP1700- 2000) a month and stay for six months to a year in the war zone where, according to the Foreign Office, ‘the threat to British nationals from terrorism remains high.’

Sinje’s team is based in Irbil, the biggest city in the Kurdish region in the north of the country. The Kurdish Regional Government is financing the project and providing protection. A car bomb in Irbil in September killed one and injured 47 people. Elsewhere, recent bombings of the Red Cross and UN headquarters have prompted NGOs and aid agencies to evacuate most of their foreign staff.AFHR have already identified fourteen key burial sites. They will be collecting evidence for future trials and will return the remains to families for humane burial. Forensic experts will be closely involved; the AFHR website lists no previous forensic archaeology experience for the current team’s members.

We asked Sinje about the existing situation. 'We are basically occupied with making contacts with the communities, local authorities and NGOs,' Sinje told us. 'We plan to start excavating the burial sites as soon as possible, within the next two months. We will be celebrating Christmas and New Year in Irbil!'

How have local people reacted? 'We haven't experienced any resentment from the population. We have had a lot of support from the Ministry of Human Rights in Irbil. The University of Salaheddin is providing staff and measuring instruments, even though their resources are limited they eagerly want to be involved. The mass grave issue is a very delicate subject and being here you feel the urgent need of the people to start with the work. They are not willing to wait any longer and they will begin to excavate by themselves, with or without international help.'

What experience do you have of this sort of work? 'AFHR archaeologists have worked extensively in Syria and Iraq. They are well trained and experienced excavators. They are very used to the climate, soils and working conditions here. The method and documentation of excavation is applicable to any kind of site.'

There have been reports of archaeological sites being looted since the war. Have you seen any evidence of this? 'We only passed Niniveh, but didn't walk around the site. Too dangerous.'

What other experiences have you had in the country? 'On our first attempt to get to Baghdad we had to return to Irbil because of robbers on the road attacking bypassers. We were travelling in two cars with officials from the Ministry of Human Rights and a bodyguard with a machine gun in each car, but we preferred to come back in a few days rather than in a few pieces. Being in Baghdad was frightening. Even though it was quiet we didn't go out after sunset at all. During the night there was frequent shooting in the city. That doesn't give you the idea of having a nice time in some restaurant or walking around the place.'

So is there any other advice for diggers working in Iraq? 'Don't use clearly marked cars. Don’t hang out around US military bases, UN Headquarters, international NGOs. Stay away from Falluja and Baghdad. Don't go sightseeing in Tikrit.'

Web Links :

Archaeologists for Human Rights
c/o Ursula Janssen,
Salzburgweg 6,
48145 Muenster,
Germany

Website : http://www.afhr.org
email : info@afhr.org

http://www.hrw.org/press/2003/05/iraq051303.htm Human Rights Watch
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/2971464.stm BBC report on Mass Graves