The following editorial appeared in the Detroit Free Press on Thursday, July 24:

The mass graves that epitomize Saddam Hussein’s ruthless reign continue to come to light in Iraq. The United States must provide the resources – far more than it is doing now – to ensure these crimes against humanity get documented and a legacy of justice is created for Iraqis.

The roots of this debt to Iraqis go deeper in history than the war. One major tide of Saddam-ordered atrocities came in 1988, largely to Kurds in northern Iraq; America turned a blind eye because Iraq was an ally of sorts against Iran – a threat deemed more serious at the time. Another slaughter occurred in 1991, soon after the first Gulf War ended. Iraqis who rebelled against Hussein’s regime, largely Shiites in the south, met horrible fates after outside support for their cause was seemingly promised but never came.

Witnesses tell of victims herded alive into trenches, then shot and buried with one in five probably still breathing, or of bodies arriving by the truckful to be thrown into a single pit. Iraqis knew of many gravesites and dug them up as soon as Saddam’s regime fell, but each week seems to bring another discovery. His regime has the blood of 200,000 to 300,000

people on its hands.

America should provide the money for making the case against Saddam and his henchmen, but this is not a job for Americans – or for Iraqis. International organizations have the expertise, legitimacy and credibility to document these crimes against humanity – and make eventual charges stick, if anyone is left to charge.

After keeping the United States out of the International Criminal Court, President George W. Bush has set a course that keeps Iraq out as well. But Iraqis need to know the world cares enough to prosecute. These mass graves demand international accountability.