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10.34.3 Burial or Cremation and Inurnment. The detaining authorities shall ensure thatinternees who die while interned are honorably buried, if possible according to the rites of thereligion to which they belonged. 613Deceased internees shall be buried in individual graves unless unavoidable circumstancesrequire the use of collective graves. 614 For example, an epidemic or military operations mayrequire the Detaining Power to undertake collective burials in the interest of public healthbecause individual graves are not possible due to lack of time and resources. 61510.34.3.1 Cremation. Bodies of internees may be cremated only for imperativereasons of hygiene, on account of the religion of the deceased, or in accordance with his or herexpressed wish to this effect. 616 In case of cremation, the fact shall be stated and the reasonsgiven in the death certificate of the deceased. 617 The ashes shall be retained for safe-keeping bythe detaining authorities and shall be transferred as soon as possible to the next of kin on theirrequest. 61810.34.4 Maintenance and Records of Graves and Ashes. The detaining authorities shallensure that the graves of internees who die while interned are respected, properly maintained,and marked in such a way that they can always be recognized. 619 Ideally, the markings on thegraves should contain at least the surname, first name, and date of birth of the dead person indetail and in a durable fashion. 620As soon as circumstances permit, and not later than the close of hostilities, the DetainingPower shall forward lists of graves of deceased internees to the Powers on whom the deceased613 GC art. 130 (“The detaining authorities shall ensure that internees who die while interned are honourably buried,if possible according to the rites of the religion to which they belonged, … .”).614 GC art. 130 (“Deceased internees shall be buried in individual graves unless unavoidable circumstances requirethe use of collective graves.”).615 GC COMMENTARY 507 (“However desirable it may be to have individual graves properly marked, advocated asthe general practice by the Convention, the Article does allow of exceptions. These would be valid for reasons offorce majeure, during an epidemic, for example, if the death of an excessively large number of persons created adanger of infection which did not allow time for the digging of individual graves, or again if warlike operationsobliged the Detaining Power to retreat and before retreating and from lack of time it undertook collective burials inthe interests of public health.”).616 GC art. 130 (“Bodies may be cremated only for imperative reasons of hygiene, on account of the religion of thedeceased or in accordance with his expressed wish to this effect.”).617 GC art. 130 (“In case of cremation, the fact shall be stated and the reasons given in the death certificate of thedeceased.”).618 GC art. 130 (“The ashes shall be retained for safe-keeping by the detaining authorities and shall be transferred assoon as possible to the next of kin on their request.”).619 GC art. 130 (“The detaining authorities shall ensure … that their graves are respected, properly maintained, andmarked in such a way that they can always be recognized.”).620 GC COMMENTARY 506-07 (“The Convention does not state how graves should be marked. The practice ofplacing individual markings on the grave showing the surname, first name and date of birth of the dead person indetail and in a durable fashion, is, however, particularly to be recommended to belligerents wishing to fulfill theirobligations. The same applies to ashes in the case of cremation, as mentioned in the following paragraph.”).730