THE CONTENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL LEGAL OBLIGATION TO RECORD EVERY CIVILIAN CASUALTY OF ARMED CONFLICT
1. There are binding international legal obligations upon parties to armed conflict to:
a) search for all missing civilians as a result of hostilities, occupation or detention;
b) collect all of the casualties of armed conflict from the area of hostilities as soon as circumstances permit;
c) if at all possible, the remains of those killed are to be returned to their relatives;
d) the remains of the dead are not to be despoiled;
e) any property found with the bodies of the dead is to be returned to the relatives of the deceased;
f) the dead are to be buried with dignity and in accordance with their religious or cultural beliefs;
g) the dead are to be buried individually and not in mass graves;
h) the graves are to be maintained and protected;
i) exhumation of dead bodies is only to be permitted in circumstances of public necessity which will include identifying cause of death;
j) the location of the place of burial is to be recorded by the party to the conflict in control of that territory;
k) there should be established in the case of civilian casualties an official graves registration service.
2. These international legal obligations taken together constitute a binding international legal obligation upon every party to an armed conflict to record every civilian casualty of armed conflict whether in an international or Non-International Armed Conflict.
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