But an individual country does not have to allow suspected mass graves to be examined. Not all mass graves contain victims of war crimes or atrocities. Some may hold the bodies of hurriedly buried combatants. Witnesses and survivors will help identify which grave is which. Even then, the mass grave may not be obvious.
Experts often comb through a field or forest to find a mass grave.
They will look for abrupt changes in vegetation to indicate recent burial activity, or changes in the texture and color of earth. Depressions or mounds are another sign digging has recently taken place. Reporters who come across what they believe to be a mass grave should not interfere with it. Mass graves are often mined or strewn with unexploded ordinance. Disturbing a mass grave might also compromise the evidence it contains.