JAMILA'S MEMO: 33 lives and lies

And to this moment, we still do not fully know how they got there. Were they unclaimed, undocumented? Were procedures followed? Or were they simply disposed of?

Because the questions coming out of this discovery are deeply unsettling. There are claims that the bodies were transported and buried at night. That some may have come from a mortuary, and that records may be missing; or unclear. And then comes the explanations; that these were “unclaimed bodies” being disposed of.

But even that raises more questions than answers. There is a clear, legal process on how unclaimed bodies are to be handled, including identification efforts, proper documentation, and court-sanctioned burial procedures. It is not something done quietly or at night. And certainly not something done in a way that leaves so many questions behind.

So if that process was followed, where is the record? And if it was not, then what exactly are we looking at? As these questions seek answers, one thing is clear: This is about dignity in death. Who were these people? Did someone, somewhere, go looking for them? Are there families still searching not knowing that their loved ones may already be lying in that grave? And even if these were unclaimed bodies, does that mean they deserve less? Less dignity, accountability or even less truth?

Because even in death, there must be respect. There must be a system that can account for every single life. Thirty-three bodies, and yet the outrage feels muted. And you begin to ask yourself, how little do we value human life? Because if thirty-three people can end up in a mass grave, with no clear answers, and no national pause, then something is deeply wrong.

We should demand immediate, clear, and transparent answers.  Because if we cannot account for people in death, then what does that say about how we value life? As the push and pull continue, it is important to remember that this is not just a legal issue; it is also a moral question about who we are and what we are willing to accept.

So this cannot be buried; the truth must come out. Who were these people? How did they die? And how did they end up in this mass grave?

Because behind every one of those thirty-three bodies was a person. And every person deserves dignity in life and in death.