Yasser Arafat's exhumation: a short history of digging up bodies
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Version 0 of 1. Yasser Arafat's exhumation was over in a matter of hours. The Swiss, Russian and French scientists who gathered on Tuesday at the former Palestinian leader's mausoleum in Ramallah were able to, with minimum disturbance to his grave, gather the samples needed to assess whether he had been poisoned with radioactive polonium-210. Only a Palestinian doctor was allowed to touch his body and the exhumation had received the blessing of his family. The operation was newsworthy not just because of the status of Arafat – he joins a list of (not always legal) exhumations of the famous, such as Jesse James, Che Guevara, Karen Carpenter and Charlie Chaplin – but also because exhumations are often viewed as mysterious acts held in darkness, or out of sight behind screens. Peter Mitchell is a Maidstone-based exhumation specialist who oversees around 25 exhumations a year: "They can be quite common in some countries and cultures, and taboo in others. And there are a wide variety of reasons why a body might be exhumed, ranging from police investigations to family arguments. For example, I perform many exhumations in Hong Kong, where cemetery space is at a premium and where there is a culture among families of exhuming relatives after six years to provide further care to their body." A typical exhumation in the UK costs about £5,000, says Mitchell, and cannot be done without the correct consent. If the body is buried on ground consecrated by the Church of England, a "faculty" will be required from the chancellor of the diocese. A licence from the ministry of justice will also be needed, meaning the process can take months. Mitchell says exhumers must contend with a range of possible grave conditions: "The ground conditions largely determine the body's rate of decomposition. The temperature, presence of air and water, the depth, and insect activity are all determinates. In a hot, arid county such as Palestine, the exhumers would expect to find some desiccated flesh. I would like to think that, although it has been eight years since his burial and the Islamic tradition normally ensures someone is buried in a shroud, Arafat's exhumers would find something more than skeletal remains. In UK conditions, decomposition would typically take longer." Exhumations in the UK, of which there are around 1,000 applications a year, are often requested due to a construction project requiring the repositioning of a cemetery. "But families also have their own personal reasons," says Mitchell. "Moving home is quite common; they want to take their relative with them." The process of exhumation is straightforward, says Mitchell. It will normally take place around 6am, out of sight of the public. "Some graves contain more than one body, which can complicate the exhumation," says Mitchell. "Another complicating factor is the modern use of chipboard or MDF coffins. Unlike solid wood, these newer coffins deteriorate far quicker once the rain reaches them." |