- Title: Iraq Body Count among contenders for 2016 Nobel Peace Prize
- Date: 1st October 2016
- Summary: BAGHDAD, IRAQ (FILE - APRIL 9, 2003) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (REUTERS) CONVOY OF U.S. HUMVEES DRIVING INTO BAGHDAD U.S. SOLDIER AIMING WEAPON FROM TURRET OF PASSING ARMOURED PERSONNEL CARRIER (APC) CHEERING CROWD OF IRAQIS FOLLOWING HUMVEES CROWD OF IRAQIS AND U.S. TANK IN SQUARE DOMINATED BY STATUE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN MAN HITTING BASE OF STATUE WITH SLEDGEHAMMER STATUE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN BEING PULLED TO THE GROUND, CROWD SURGING FORWARD AND ATTACKING FALLEN STATUE
- Embargoed: 16th October 2016 13:33
- Keywords: Nobel Peace Prize Iraq Hamit Dardagan civilian deaths
- Location: INTERNET / LONDON, ENGLAND, UK / BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- City: INTERNET / LONDON, ENGLAND, UK / BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- Country: Various
- Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
- Reuters ID: LVA005526VNT3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text:EDITORS PLEASE NOTE: THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY 4:3
Iraq Body Count (IBC) is a database of violent civilian deaths in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of the country in 2003 and is now being considered as a contender for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The organisation is assisted by volunteers in the UK and United States and says its figures are not statistical estimates but a record of actual, documented violent deaths of civilians.
IBC was founded by Hamit Dardaga and John Sloboda in 2002.
Speaking at a TEDx talk in London in 2014, Dardagan described IBC's work as a "respectful record" of those killed.
"Perhaps one day, and who knows how far in the future, there may come a time when our species looks at these records of lives extinguished, of human dreams shattered and of human potential lost and says 'this is why we don't do wars any more'," he said.
The organisation's latest annual report was published on their website on January 1, 2016.
"Total reported deaths for the entire period 2003-2015 passed 240,000 during 2015. Over 170,000 (roughly 71%) of these were civilian," the report said.
IBC is now working on an initiative which it says will honour the memories of those killed.
The Iraq Digital Memorial aims to share the names and stories of individual victims and their families.
According to the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), the group employs rigid methodology, using mainly English cross-checked media sources, to keep a count of those killed.
The Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo on Friday October 7, at 1100 a.m. (0900GMT).
The winner or joint winners will receive the prize worth 10 million Swedish crowns (1.4 million U.S. dollars) on December 10, 2016. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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