Reuniting Families Separated by War

During the civil war in El Salvador in the 1980s, thousands of children were separated from their parents. Many were forcibly taken from their families by the military, while others were lost in the chaos of combat.

International Forensic Program

News & Reports

News Releases on PHR's Forensic Work

Forensic Evaluation Completed of Mexican Investigation of Brad Will Case
The International Forensic Program (IFP) of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) recommends a thorough and wider inquiry following its comprehensive forensic review of the ongoing investigation by Mexico's Attorney General (Procuraduria General de la Republica-PGR) into the October, 2006 death of 36-year-old American Brad Will.
May 23, 2008

Forensic Genetics in Service of Human Rights - PHR and Partners in El Salvador Launch New Course on Kinship and DNA
The expert group in forensic science of Physicians for Human Rights (Boston, USA), the Alliance of Forensic Scientists for Human Rights and Humanitarian Investigations (California), and the Association in Search of Disappeared Boys and Girls (Pro Busqueda, El Salvador) inaugurated the International Course "Theoretical and Practical Bases for evaluation of biological kinship in human identification using DNA." The goal of the course is to strengthen the capacity of organizations of victims, human rights NGOs, and forensic laboratories in Latin America as they learn the scientific truth in uncovering serious cases of human rights violations and demand justice.
November 6, 2007

Massachusetts Residents Stolen from Their Families in El Salvador during Civil War Announce Formation of Support Group
Today, three Massachusetts residents—Imelda Auron (W. Roxbury), Suzanne Berghaus (Wilmington), and Nelson DeWitt (Newton)—spoke for the first time as a group about their experience as children who were abducted from their families by El Salvadoran government forces during the El Salvadoran Civil War in the 1980s...
July 27, 2007

See the PHR Library for all news releases about forensic investigations

PHR Forensic Reports

Physicians for Human Rights Forensic Team Preliminary Assessment in Jenin
Prompted by reports of alleged violations of human rights during the recent Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) operation in the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp, Physicians for Human Rights-USA (PHR-USA) sent an assessment team to the area.
April 21, 2002

Preliminary Assessment of Alleged Mass Gravesites in the Area of Mazar-I-Sharif, Afghanistan
In January 2002, PHR sent a three person fact-finding delegation to Afghanistan. Preliminary information regarding gravesites was compiled by PHR board member Dr. Jennifer Leaning and consultant John Heffernan on a visit to the Northern Afghanistan area on January 16-21, 2002.
January 1, 2002

Investigative Report Pertaining to the Death of Issam Judeh Mustafa Hamed
The International Forensic Program of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) has concluded that the controversial death of Palestinian Issam Judeh Mustafa Hamed was the result of trauma sustained in a motor vehicle roll-over.
November 1, 2000

See the PHR Library for all reports about forensic investigations

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