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Death Investigations

PHR's International Forensic Program uses forensic science to investigate both mass graves and, sometimes, individual deaths.

Current Investigations:

Afghanistan Must Bolster Its Capacity to Identify the Missing, PHR Declares in New Report (April 24, 2013)

A new report by Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) released at a conference in Kabul today on “Truth Seeking and the Role of Forensic Science” outlines steps that Afghanistan can take if it is to make progress in addressing the right to truth of victims of more than three decades of violent conflict by identifying missing and disappeared persons.

Acquittal of Russian Doctor in Magnitsky Case Sparks Disappointment, Not Surprise (December 28, 2012)

Today’s acquittal of a Russian doctor implicated in the death of a Russian anti-corruption lawyer is disappointing but not surprising.

US Senate Approves Passage of Magnitsky Act (December 6, 2012)

PHR applauds today’s passage by the US Senate of legislation that would place sanctions on Russians implicated in the torture and death three years ago of a Russian anti-corruption lawyer; the vote was 92 to 4.

The Outer Limits - Waking the dead (The Times, Higher Education, November 29, 2012)

In the first of a new series on academics who conduct research in extreme circumstances, Gillian Fowler recalls the six years she spent working as a forensic anthropologist exhuming mass graves in Guatemala. Fowler also mentions her consulting work for PHR in Kabul, Afghanistan, training a team of Afghans to carry out mass grave investigations.

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PHR Joins Coalition to Arrest Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir (March 6, 2013)

Four years ago today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Omar al-Bashir, President of Sudan, on seven counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity including killings, rape, and torture. On July 12, 2010, Bashir was also charged with three counts of genocide.

Colombia: Fair Bernal Porras Case Update (June 19, 2012)

Earlier this month, PHR reported on the issue of “false positives”; civilians who were kidnapped and executed by Colombian military forces with the intent of identifying them as either members of the FARC guerrilla movement or other illegal armed groups. Specifically, we focused on the case of Mr. Fair Bernal Leonardo Porras, a 26-year old builder who was forcibly disappeared from a rural town in northern Colombia. Since that time, the judicial process has continued to move forward.

In Colombia, Evidence Proves Extrajudicial Executions by Military (June 1, 2012)

In 2008, the Colombian government acknowledged the extrajudicial executions of 11 young men from a working class municipality near Bogota. These victims are among those known as “false positives”; civilians who were kidnapped by Colombian military forces with the intent of identifying them as either members of the FARC guerrilla movement or other illegal armed groups. This practice allows the military to inflate the number of enemies they’ve killed.

ICE Struggles to Provide Humane Treatment to Transgender Detainees (May 21, 2012)

Despite the failure of the US to ensure equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens, LGBT people around the world still see it as a place where they can live their lives freely and openly, without fear of imprisonment or torture.

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Securing Afghanistan's Past: Human Remains Identification Needs and Gap Analysis (April 2013)

PHR's report outlines steps that Afghanistan can take if it is to make progress in addressing the right to truth of victims of more than three decades of violent conflict by identifying missing and disappeared persons.

Libyan Human Identification Needs Assessment and Gap Analysis (March 2013)

The identification and repatriation of individuals killed and “disappeared” during the recent conflict in Libya and the previous regime of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi constitute one of the most urgent challenges facing the interim government of Libya.

Forensic Review of Sergei Magnitsky documents (July 2011)

After reporting an alleged $230 million tax fraud perpetrated by a group of Russian government officials and senior police officers, Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer stationed in Russia for the UK‐based investment firm Hermitage Fund, was arrested and jailed on November 24, 2008. Magnitsky died following 358 days in prison under progressively worsening conditions. PHR's International Forensic Program reviewed documents relating to Magnitsky's death in order to identify key irregularities, inconsistencies or gaps in the medical investigations carried out by the Russian authorities into the cause and manner of his death.

Punishment Before Justice: Indefinite Detention in the US (June 2011)

The United States government’s reliance on indefinite detention in both national security and immigration contexts reflects an abdication of its legal and moral responsibility to treat those in its custody humanely, as well as an abdication of its responsibility to protect its military and civilians from retaliation on account of its continued refusal to honor the rule of law.

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Featured Investigation

Sergei Magnitsky, Russia

During his time in Russian police custody, Sergei Magnitsky, a 37-year old Russian anti-corruption lawyer, suffered calculated and deliberate neglect and inhumane treatment which ultimately lead to his death. Read More »

Featured Expert

Stefan Schmitt

Stefan Schmitt

Stefan's background is in forensic anthropology and crime scene analysis. He is the author of a leading publication providing a working definition for mass graves. He has lived in Guatemala, where he founded the country’s first forensic anthropology team in 1992. Read More »