SARAJEVO, January 21 (FENA) – Spokesperson of the Missing Persons Institute of BiH Lejla Čengić said in an interview with FENA that moving the laboratory for DNA analysis of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP) from BiH to Hague will reflect on number of identified posthumous remains this year.
Interviewer: Aida Kovač
“The International Commission on Missing Persons stated that there will be no DNA results for a period of time until laboratory is situated and starts working. After that the process of determining identity based on DNA analysis will take the same amount of time as it did before, except for additional few days which takes to send the bone sample and get the feedback, that is, DNA results,” explained Čengić.
When it comes to protection of personal data, she said that ICMP has applied standards and procedures to protect information and “there has not been any abuse”.
Čengić also mentioned process of identification of victims that will be buried at the collective burial in Potočari this year.
According to her, 14 victims have been identified and ready for burial in Potočari on July 11 this year.
“We expect that number will be much higher. There are posthumous remains of 50 genocide victims in Podrinje Identification Project in Tuzla that have been identified based on DNA analysis and by their families, but families still have not decided for the burial, mostly due to incomplete skeletons,” noted Čengić.
She emphasized that no mass grave of genocide victims has been revealed over the last two years.
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