Saddam Hussein's former regime committed many crimes against the Iraqi people and Kurds, including the Halabja and Anfal massacres, mass graves, the Sha'ban uprising, the assassination of scholars, and beatings of political parties.

Zia Karim, director general of mass graves at the Martyrs Authority, said “There are two types of mass graves. The first is due to the crimes of the Ba'ath regime. One of the most prominent places with mass graves is the Samawa desert, which contains many mass graves, all women and children.

He added "The total number of mass graves before and after 2003 has reached 221, of which 96 date back to the Ba'ath regime and 125 to the ISIS era," adding that "The total number of mass graves excavated is 134; 80 mass graves belonged to the Ba'ath regime and 54 mass graves belonged to the ISIS regime. 16 of them belong to the Ba'ath regime and 71 mass graves belong to ISIS".

"The total number of bodies recovered has reached 7,709; 4,451 bodies belong to the Ba'ath regime and 3,258 bodies belonged to the ISIS era," Karim told the Iraqi News Agency.