July 15, 2009, Lima, Peru: The Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF), an AP partner, has joined Twitter in an effort to stay in contact with its supporters around the world.

EPAF is excited to announce that you can follow its new feed by visitng: http://twitter.com/epafperu.

EPAF is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP). AP’s twitter feed can be found at http://twitter.com/AdvocacyProject.

You can also fellow the tweets of AP fellows at: http://search.twitter.com/search?q=%23apfellows.

July 8, 2009, Lima, Peru: The Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) welcomes the Peruvian Supreme Court’s ratification of the verdict in the La Cantuta case, which affirms the responsibility and sanction of Julio Salazar Monroe, as well as the other accused, in the murders of a professor and nine students from La Cantuta University in 1992.
 
“Today’s decision represents a significant advancement towards justice in cases involving grave violations of human rights,” the group said in a statement. “It also signifies an important step forward in the use of forensic analysis as scientific evidence in judicial prosecutions, and it has been EPAF’s privilege to contribute substantially to this process as official forensic experts in the case.”

The 10 victims were abducted by a government death squad, known as Grupo Colina, in a pre-dawn raid July 18, 1992, and shot in the head. Their remains were later found in an unmarked grave.

EPAF, a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP), conducted forensic tests and DNA analysis on the remains in 2007 and gave testimony to the First Anticorruption Criminal Court in Peru.

Only four of the ten victims could be positively identified, but the evidence was sufficient for the court to sentence four members of the Colina death squad to jail terms of up to 35 years. The case, which concluded in April 2008, was the first time forensic evidence had been used successfully in a trial before a Peruvian court.

The Cantuta massacre has also played a key role in the prosecution of Mr. Fujimori, his advisor Vladimiro Montesinos, and two other members of the Colina squad, who are being tried in separate legal proceedings.

In its statement, EPAF said it hopes the success of the La Cantuta case can be replicated in other cases of forced disappearances in Peru:

“The ratification of this historic verdict fills us with optimism and hope for achieving justice in the innumerable other cases of forced disappearance and extrajudicial killings that continue to challenge us as a society recovering from a prolonged and brutal internal armed conflict.”

June 11, 2009, Lima, Peru: The Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) is urging restraint as tensions continue to mount between the government and indigenous villagers in Bagua, Peru after violent confrontations between protesters and riot police this past weekend.

Hundreds of villagers in the Bagua region have been protesting the government’s push to open up indigenous lands in the Amazon to oil and gas companies. On June 5, more than 30 indigenous protesters are thought to have been killed in clashes with police, and the police have been accused of throwing large numbers of bodies into the Maranon river to hide the death toll. More than 20 police officers are also believed to have died.

Today, a national strike was called by indigenous activists and several cities held solidarity marches.

EPAF, a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP), released a statement criticizing the government for broadcasting gruesome photographs of police officers killed in Bagua in order to sway public opinion. EPAF is calling for the creation of an independent investigatory commission to determine the actual number of dead and wounded among police and civilians and inquire into possible forced disappearances.

Two AP Peace Fellows, Jessica Varat and Zachary Parker, are currently volunteering with EPAF in Peru, and will post updates on the situation on their blogs.

EPAF’s full statement is below:

“The Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team regrets the unnecessary violence and loss of life in Bagua over the weekend and expresses its concern that the tenuous calm in the region does not once again devolve into confrontation and bloodshed. Out of an interest in maintaining the peace and preserving the possibility of an eventual conciliation between the two sides, EPAF calls on the Peruvian government and the leaders of the indigenous movement to refrain from using heated rhetoric that can only serve to further polarize the conflict.

Along these lines, EPAF expresses its consternation over the continued broadcast of televised propaganda from the Ministry of Interior showing gruesome photographs of the bodies of police officers killed in the confrontations. Besides increasing the tension in the region, the use of those images demonstrates a fundamental lack of respect for the victims and the privacy rights of their aggrieved family members. For that reason, the government should suspend further broadcasts immediately.

EPAF also reiterates its call for the creation of an independent investigatory commission to clarify the events surrounding these acts of violence to determine the actual number of dead and wounded among police and civilians and inquire into possible cases of forced disappearance of civilians. The commission’s findings should then be used to establish the criminal responsibility of those involved in these acts of violence and prosecute them according to the requirements of the law.

Finally, EPAF sends its condolences to all the victims of the violence and urges the country to reflect on the importance of protecting and preserving the lives of all Peruvians.”

June 8, 2009, Lima, Peru: The Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) is demanding an investigation after twenty police officers and an undetermined number of civilians were killed Friday, June 5, in violent clashes between the National Police and indigenous groups.

The violence occurred in Bagua, a town located in the northeast corner of Peru.

EPAF, a partner of The Advocacy Project, is asking for a comprehensive report on the actual number of dead and wounded among the police and civilians and an inquiry into any possible forced disappearances during these events. The group has issued the following statement:

“EPAF expresses its solidarity with the relatives of each and every one of the victims for the unjust and unnecessary loss of their loved ones; insists that there are legitimate and legal strategies to resolve social conflict in Peru other than through more violence and bloodshed; manifests concern that the numbers of dead and wounded provided by the state and civil society organizations are distinct and in many cases contradictory; and feels that the explanations given by the state regarding the intervention provide insufficient justification for the actions taken.

As a result and for the benefit of the nation, EPAF demands:

- the formation of an independent investigatory commission to clarify the violent acts that have occurred;

- a comprehensive and conclusive report of the actual number of dead and wounded among police and civilians;

- a determination of the exact circumstances under which the victims were killed or wounded;

- an inquiry into possible cases of forced disappearances of civilians during these events;

- that criminal responsibility for this case be determined based on the findings of the aforementioned investigations.

We all must understand that the loss of life is irreparable and that the pain of some should not be valued over the pain of others because, in the end we are all Peruvian.”

May 26, 2009, Lima, Peru: Members of the Peruvian Forensic Anthropology Team (EPAF) recently participated in a forensic training for members of the criminal justice profession in Venezuela.

The “Forensic Investigation Training for Justice Operators” was held May 13 and 14, and was organized by the Chair of Peace and Human Rights, Oscar Arnulfo Romero, and the Universidad de los Andes.

The workshop was part of EPAF´s global training initiative, which seeks to facilitate communication and joint efforts among different actors involved in finding the “disappeared” — such as relatives, forensic investigators, police, and prosecutors. EPAF is a partner of The Advocacy Project (AP).

Last week’s workshop included theoretical sessions, held in the mornings, which covered the various elements of forensic investigations, and hands-on sessions in the afternoons. Participants learned about the recovery of evidence and recording of the crime scene, post mortem analysis and determination of the cause of death, and DNA analysis. They also practiced identifying and recovering evidence at model crime scenes created specially for the training.

The workshop concluded with a session on interpretation of evidence, which covered patterns found in the investigation of crimes, past examples, and case studies.

EPAF has previously conducted similar workshops in Peru and the Phillipines.