Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation
Encyclopedia
The Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation ( or FAFG) is an autonomous, non-profit, technical and scientific non-governmental organisation.
Its aim is to strengthen the administration of justice and respect for human rights
by investigating, documenting, and raising awareness about past instances of human rights violations, particularly unresolved murders, that occurred during Guatemala
's 30-year-long Civil War
.
Its main tool in pursuing this goal is the application of forensic anthropology
techniques in exhumations of clandestine mass grave
s. Its endeavours in this regard allow the relatives of the disappeared
to recuperate the remains of their missing family members and to proceed with burials in accordance with their beliefs, and enable criminal prosecutions to be brought against the perpetrators.
" policy pursued by the government in the early 1980s. The forensic services of the Guatemalan judiciary began to investigate some of these cases, but they failed to pursue them to their conclusion.
Consequently, in 1991, the survivors' groups contacted Dr. Clyde Snow
, a renowned U.S.
forensic anthropologist who had previously overseen exhumations in Argentina
in the wake of that country's Dirty War
and had helped found the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team
.
Snow arrived in Guatemala, accompanied by forensic anthropologists from Argentina and Chile, and began the dual task of conducting the first exhumations and training the future members of the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Team (Equipo de Antropología Forense de Guatemala).
The Team was supported in its early years by a donation from the American Association for the Advancement of Science
of the United States, and its first director was Stefan Schmitt, who has since worked on exhumations in Rwanda
and Former Yugoslavia
. In July 1992 the EAFG carried out its first field project at San José Pachó Lemoa in El Quiché department.
The Team was restyled as a "Foundation" in 1997. That same year, the Historical Clarification Commission
(Guatemala's truth and reconciliation commission
, set up as a part of the peace accords that ended the armed conflict) asked it to conduct four field investigations in order to secure physical evidence to back up the testimony it had heard from survivors; this evidence was included in the Commission's final report, Guatemala: Memory of Silence.
By October 2004, the FAFG had investigated a total of 349 clandestine burial sites and had recovered 2,982 sets of human remains.
The current director of the FAFG is Fredy Peccerelli
.
Its aim is to strengthen the administration of justice and respect for human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
by investigating, documenting, and raising awareness about past instances of human rights violations, particularly unresolved murders, that occurred during Guatemala
Guatemala
Guatemala is a country in Central America bordered by Mexico to the north and west, the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, Belize to the northeast, the Caribbean to the east, and Honduras and El Salvador to the southeast...
's 30-year-long Civil War
Guatemalan Civil War
The Guatemalan Civil War ran from 1960-1996. The thirty-six-year civil war began as a grassroots, popular response to the rightist and military usurpation of civil government , and the President's disrespect for the human and civil rights of the majority of the population...
.
Its main tool in pursuing this goal is the application of forensic anthropology
Forensic anthropology
Forensic anthropology is the application of the science of physical anthropology and human osteology in a legal setting, most often in criminal cases where the victim's remains are in the advanced stages of decomposition. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification of deceased...
techniques in exhumations of clandestine mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
s. Its endeavours in this regard allow the relatives of the disappeared
Forced disappearance
In international human rights law, a forced disappearance occurs when a person is secretly abducted or imprisoned by a state or political organization or by a third party with the authorization, support, or acquiescence of a state or political organization, followed by a refusal to acknowledge the...
to recuperate the remains of their missing family members and to proceed with burials in accordance with their beliefs, and enable criminal prosecutions to be brought against the perpetrators.
History
In 1990 and 1991, various groups of survivors began to report to the authorities the existence of clandestine graves in their communities, most of which contained the bodies of Maya campesinos massacred during the "scorched earthScorched earth
A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
" policy pursued by the government in the early 1980s. The forensic services of the Guatemalan judiciary began to investigate some of these cases, but they failed to pursue them to their conclusion.
Consequently, in 1991, the survivors' groups contacted Dr. Clyde Snow
Clyde Snow
Clyde Snow is a well known U.S. forensic anthropologist. Some of his skeletal confirmations include John F. Kennedy, victims of John Wayne Gacy, King Tutankhamun, victims of the Oklahoma City bombing, and Dr. Josef Mengele.Snow started his higher education at the New Mexico Military Institute were...
, a renowned U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forensic anthropologist who had previously overseen exhumations in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
in the wake of that country's Dirty War
Dirty War
The Dirty War was a period of state-sponsored violence in Argentina from 1976 until 1983. Victims of the violence included several thousand left-wing activists, including trade unionists, students, journalists, Marxists, Peronist guerrillas and alleged sympathizers, either proved or suspected...
and had helped found the Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team
Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team
The Argentine Forensic Anthropology Team is an Argentine not-for-profit scientific non-governmental organisation...
.
Snow arrived in Guatemala, accompanied by forensic anthropologists from Argentina and Chile, and began the dual task of conducting the first exhumations and training the future members of the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Team (Equipo de Antropología Forense de Guatemala).
The Team was supported in its early years by a donation from the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
of the United States, and its first director was Stefan Schmitt, who has since worked on exhumations in Rwanda
Rwanda
Rwanda or , officially the Republic of Rwanda , is a country in central and eastern Africa with a population of approximately 11.4 million . Rwanda is located a few degrees south of the Equator, and is bordered by Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo...
and Former Yugoslavia
Former Yugoslavia
The former Yugoslavia is a term used to describe the present day states which succeeded the collapse of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia....
. In July 1992 the EAFG carried out its first field project at San José Pachó Lemoa in El Quiché department.
The Team was restyled as a "Foundation" in 1997. That same year, the Historical Clarification Commission
Historical Clarification Commission
The Historical Clarification Commission was Guatemala's truth and reconciliation commission.The creation of the CEH was ordered by the Oslo Accords of 1994 that sought to bring an end to the Central American nation's three-decade-long Civil War, during which an estimated 200,000 people lost their...
(Guatemala's truth and reconciliation commission
Truth and Reconciliation Commission
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission was a court-like restorative justice body assembled in South Africa after the abolition of apartheid. Witnesses who were identified as victims of gross human rights violations were invited to give statements about their experiences, and some were selected...
, set up as a part of the peace accords that ended the armed conflict) asked it to conduct four field investigations in order to secure physical evidence to back up the testimony it had heard from survivors; this evidence was included in the Commission's final report, Guatemala: Memory of Silence.
By October 2004, the FAFG had investigated a total of 349 clandestine burial sites and had recovered 2,982 sets of human remains.
The current director of the FAFG is Fredy Peccerelli
Fredy Peccerelli
Fredy Peccerelli , a forensic anthropologist, is the Director and one of the founding members of the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation in Guatemala City, a nongovernmental organization that exhumes mass graves of victims of Guatemala's civil war...
.
External links
- FAFG website (Spanish)
- EAFG/FAFG website (English)
- Group Works to Identify Remains in Guatemala, National Public Radio, 2007-01-29, accessed 2008-06-17