WK224 Forensics: A powerful tool for human rights
Forensic science provides indisputable evidence that can be the basis for further investigation or court cases against human rights abusers. In addition, forensics can provide families and communities with information about their loved ones so that they begin the process of closure and healing.
Panelists
Featured Tactic: Luis Fondebrider,
Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense (EEAF), Argentina
Complementary Presentations:
Featured Tactic
Using forensic science to advance human rights Luis Fondebrider, Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team, Argentina
Over the past two decades, the Equipo Argentino de Antropología Forense, or EAAF (Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team) has identified the remains of victims of state violence. The EAAF’s goal is three-fold: to return victims’ remains to their families and thus aid in the healing process; to provide evidence for legal cases against the perpetrators of state violence; and to train and support the formation of other forensic teams in countries that have suffered periods of violence and need to investigate the past. The EEAF usually begins a case with a preliminary investigation to ascertain where the person might be buried. Once the burial’s likely location has been identified, the team approaches the family of the victim; the EAAF will not continue the investigation without the family’s consent. Once the family agrees, and the group has received authorization from the prosecutor or legal authority, the team begins the exhumations. When the EAAF investigates deaths, it gives control of the process to the family and community. This is essential in communities that have not only been marginalized under abusive governments but have been excluded from the reconciliation process. The EAAF has identified hundreds of victims’ remains, bringing closure to families and contributing evidence to national and international tribunals, truth commissions and local courts.
Complementary Presentation
Moses Chege, Independent Medico-Legal Unit, Kenya
The Independent Medico-Legal Unit (IMLU) conducts independent autopsy investigations of people who died in police custody, in prisons or at the hands of law enforcement agents. The evidence collected by IMLU has been used to sue state and individual perpetrators of torture, advocating against torture and a culture of impunity. IMLU’s work has succeeded in overcoming cultural suspicion of the autopsy procedure and has increased awareness of human rights abuses at the hands of government officials.
Complementary Presentation
Dr. Siroos Mirzaei, HEMAYAT (Organisation for Support of Survivors of Torture and War), Austria
Migration, civil wars and other conflicts in various regions of the world have led to a drastic increase in the number of displaced persons and refugees. Associated with this development is an increase in the number of torture victims seeking asylum. This means that medical personnel are increasingly confronted with the evaluation and therapy of torture victims. The methods of verification of sequelae of torture are of utmost importance in the work of treatment centers for survivors of torture.
Printer-friendly version
Send to friend
