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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:

Qaddafi's Abattoir (January 24, 2012)

Since the collapse of the Qaddafi government, many mass graves have been discovered throughout Libya, evidence of the brutalities committed during the uprising. The forensic evidence provided by Physicians for Human Rights has helped to provide a clearer understanding of these atrocities.

Dasht-e-Leili, Ten Years Later (December 13, 2011)

In December 2001, Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance, with strong US backing consisting of special-forces units and CIA paramilitary operatives, were close to consolidating their control over the country. Then, in the north, as many as 2,000 prisoners who had surrendered to the Alliance or their American supporters were apparently shot to death or suffocated in sealed metal truck containers while being transferred to Afghanistan’s Sheberghan prison.

President Obama Called to Act on Promise to Investigate Dasht-e-Leili Massacre (December 13, 2011)

In a letter dated December 9, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) asked President Obama to make good on his promise to investigate the massacre of prisoners by the Northern Alliance, US allies.

Physicians Call on Obama to Investigate Massacre of 2,000 Taliban Prisoners (December 13, 2011)

PHR is calling on President Obama to act on his promise to investigate the massacre of at least 2,000 suspected Taliban prisoners of war that occurred 10 years ago in Afghanistan. The prisoners were allegedly shot to death or suffocated in sealed metal truck containers at Dasht-e-Leili while being held by the US-backed Afghan Northern Alliance.

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Science and Justice in Afghanistan (April 27, 2012)

With the backing of PHR, the Afghanistan Forensic Science Organization (AFSO) was officially launched in Kabul on March 7, 2012. The AFSO was created by eighteen participants of PHR’s 2010 forensic training program in Afghanistan, and funded through PHR’s International Forensic Program.

Witnessing Justice for Victims of Karadžić (February 14, 2012)

On January 30 and 31, 2012, Dr. William Haglund, former director of PHR's International Forensic Program and head of the forensic team which exhumed mass graves in Srebenica, Bosnia in 1995, testified at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. PHR Deputy Director Susannah Sirkin was there.

Free Conference: Forensic Evidence in the Fight Against Torture (February 1, 2012)

On February 15-16 stakeholders from around the world will gather in DC to participate in the “Forensic Evidence in the Fight Against Torture” conference, co-sponsored by the International Council for Torture Victims and American University Washington College of Law.

On 10 Year Anniversary of ‘Convoy of Death’, President Obama Must Keep His Promise to Investigate (December 20, 2011)

This December marks the 10-year anniversary of the “Convoy of Death.” During Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan, 2,000 prisoners who had surrendered to the US and the Afghan Northern Alliance were shot or suffocated to death in sealed truck containers while being transferred by Northern Alliance forces. The dead prisoners – some of who had been tortured - were then buried in a mass grave in a northern Afghanistan desert at Dasht-e-Leili.

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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.

Forensic Documentation of Torture and Ill Treatment in Mexico (December 2008)

PHR documents the Mexican government's historic attempt and ultimate failure to implement international standards of forensic evaluations of torture and ill treatment.

Afghanistan Support Project July 2007 (October 2007)

In July 2007, PHR sent a two-person team to Afghanistan to assess continuing need for forensic assistance in establishing accountability for serious war crimes and crimes against humanity, with a view to ending impunity and to establish the truth of what happened in the past. An expected outcome is to undertake forensic investigations relating to mass graves.

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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 »