Mortality of the Iranian ex-prisoners of war in Iraqi detention camps [1980 -1990]

ABSTRACT

The present study aimed to determine the rate and cause of the mortality of the Iranian ex-prisoners of war in Iraqi detention camps during a ten- year period [1980 _ 1990] according to the documented reports. The information extracted from the documented death certifications that have been provided by the Iraqi authorities and the Red Cross delegation. At least a total of 564 Iranian prisoners of war died due to the various reasons in Iraqi detention camps that show a mortality rate of 1.4% [564/40,000]. The mean captivity-to-death interval was 440 [from one to 3582] days and the registered prisoners had more duration of captivity than the unregistered [1285 vs. 215 days, P= 0.001]. The median and mean ages of the individuals at the time of death were 22 and 26.4+13 years, respectively. The mean age of the civilians was higher than the others [45.3 vs. 23.7, P=0.0001]. The cause of death was not clear for 44.3% of the individuals but among the others, infectious diseases [such as dysentery, sepsis, and meningitis] and injuries [resulting from war injuries and/or torture by Iraqi forces] were the main causes of death with 15.4% and 15.6%, respectively. It seems that the mortality of the Iranian ex-prisoners of war in Iraq is more than previously reported. Therefore, more investigation is recommended to determine the exact number of the Iranian prisoners who died in Iraq