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The Dasht-i-Leili massacre occurred in December 2001 during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan when 250 to 2,000 Taliban prisoners were shot and/or suffocated to death in metal shipping containers while being transferred by Junbish-i Milli soldiers under the supervision of forces loyal to General Rashid Dostum from Kunduz to Sheberghan prison in Afghanistan. The site of the graves is believed to be in the Dasht-e Leili desert just west of Sheberghan, in the Jowzjan Province.
Forensic anthropology is the application of the anatomical science of anthropology and its various subfields, including forensic archaeology and forensic taphonomy, in a legal setting. A forensic anthropologist can assist in the identification of deceased individuals whose remains are decomposed, burned, mutilated or otherwise unrecognizable, as might happen in a plane crash. Forensic anthropologists are also instrumental in the investigation and documentation of genocide and mass graves. Along with forensic pathologists, forensic dentists, and homicide investigators, forensic anthropologists commonly testify in court as expert witnesses. Using physical markers present on a skeleton, a forensic anthropologist can potentially determine a person's age, sex, stature, and race. In addition to identifying physical characteristics of the individual, forensic anthropologists can use skeletal abnormalities to potentially determine cause of death, past trauma such as broken bones or medical procedures, as well as diseases such as bone cancer.
Dr. Kathleen Joan Toelle Reichs is an American crime writer, forensic anthropologist and academic. She is an adjunct professor of anthropology at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte; as of 2016 she is on indefinite leave. She is also affiliated with the Laboratoire des Sciences Judiciaires et de Médecine Légale for the province of Quebec. She is one of 100 anthropologists certified by the American Board of Forensic Anthropology and is on the board of directors of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. Her schedule also involves a number of speaking engagements around the world. Reichs was a producer for the TV series Bones, which is loosely based on her novels, which in turn, are inspired by her life. She has two daughters, Kerry and Courtney, and one son, Brendan.
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Eric Stover is an American human rights researcher and advocate and faculty director of the Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley.
Erin H. Kimmerle is an American forensic anthropologist, artist, and Executive Director of the Institute of Forensic Anthropology & Applied Science at the University of South Florida. She was awarded the 2020 AAAS Award for Scientific Freedom and Responsibility.
Phoebe Stubblefield is an American forensic anthropologist specializing in human skeletal variation, human identification, and paleopathology. She is currently the Interim Director of the C.A. Pound Human Identification Laboratory at the University of Florida. She was formerly an Associate Professor at the University of North Dakota, where she also served as Chair of the Anthropology Department and Director of the Forensic Science Program. Her research integrates cultural anthropology and forensic science. She is currently leading efforts to locate and identify the remains of hundreds of victims of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre.
References
- ↑ Black, Richard (15 February 2004). "Guatemala rights scientist honoured". BBC News. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
- ↑ Human rights alert from Amnesty International issued 30 May 2007.
- ↑ "Fredy Peccerelli, Executive Director of the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation Speaks at AAAS" . Retrieved 16 June 2008.
- ↑ Transcript for case number IT-05-88-T, The Prosecutor versus Vujadin Popovic et al., see especially parts marked pages 8749-8753
