Dordrecht seeks to restore graves after 21 bodies secretly moved in cemetery scandal

The Dordrecht municipal executive has announced that the remains of 21 people covertly removed from Dubbeldam Cemetery in 2020 should be reinterred in their original graves, where possible. The case came to light at the end of last year, when it was revealed that the remains, which had not fully decomposed, had been relocated to Essenhof Cemetery without informing next of kin.

The municipal executive commissioned an investigation into the removal of the remains. The report found that record-keeping and case documentation were inadequate.

"It was not recorded exactly which bodies were relocated, making it impossible to inform relatives in a targeted manner. There was also no direct communication with next of kin, despite the sensitive nature of transferring deceased persons to another cemetery. In addition, there is no evidence that legal advice was sought regarding the chosen procedure, even though permission or registration may have been required under the Burial and Cremation Act."

The municipality of Dordrecht has warned that it may not be possible to return all of the remains to their original graves. Further investigation is required because "the identities of the 21 relocated bodies cannot be established individually," the municipality said. Around 90 interested parties or next of kin have been informed.

The 21 partially decomposed remains were moved to help complete the natural decomposition process. They were among 198 graves that were cleared as part of a wider operation involving burial plots for which the rights had lapsed years before.

The municipality referred the case to both the Labour Inspectorate and the Public Prosecution Service, but neither agency saw grounds for further action following the findings of the investigation. The report nevertheless stresses that swift decisions must be made regarding the future handling of the relocated remains.