With the support of a nearly
- unanimous United Nations coalition, Kuwait was liberated from brutal
invasion and occupation by Iraqi armed forces on February 26, 1991. On
March 2, the United Nations passed resolution 686 and 687 as part of a
broad cease-fire agreement which was accepted by Iraq. These two resolutions
called upon Iraq immediately to release all Kuwaiti and third country nationals
held prisoner, and to facilitate their repatriation by extending all co-operation
to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
During the uprising in Iraq,
several thousands of POW's from among other prisoners managed to get released
by the rebels. The Iraqis then claimed that no others existed afterwards.
However, the government and people of Kuwait and the liberating forces
knew differently. In fact, there were and still are up to 605 prisoners
in Iraqi prisons. Most of the prisoners are Kuwaitis, but they also include
citizens of nine other nations. They are not just young men, but also women,
mothers of young children, young people and very old people. There whereabouts
or condition is unknown. As a number of Kuwaiti prisoners represent about
.1% of the small population of Kuwait, there is hardly a citizen of Kuwait
who has not had a family member or friend disappear into the Iraqi prison
system.The impact of this is even more overwhelming in Kuwait society,
where the family and extended family units are of paramount importance.
Psychologists and sociologists
have conducted studies which show that the psychic fabric of the whole
nation has broken down. Mothers have lost sons, children have lost parents,
students have lost years of education and lifetime ambitions and goals
have been shattered for thousands. In every sense, the gulf war is not
yet over for these people. How can it be over for families who can not
even be sure if their loved ones are dead or alive and in captivity.
This clear cut violation of
human rights has continued to this day, nearly four and a half years later.
The state of Kuwait, particularly under the aegis of the national committee
for the Missing & the POW Affairs (NCMPA), has constantly kept every
conceivable channel of communication open, and used every means at it's
disposal to bring the issue to a resolution. Iraq has responded in turn
with prevarication, equivocation self contradictory statements, and shameless
stonewalling. Never has an adequate accounting been given.
